Last evening, I saw a reddish lightning bolt over Lake Huron. I have seen this before, but it is unusual and most strikes are the brilliant white as expected.
I am not referring to Sprites, which most searches come up with for red lightning.
I saw one explanation of dust causing the tinge, but I doubt this. The very next stroke was blue-white. If it were dust, I would expect to see them all with a tint.
I suspect that it is some kind of variation in the plasma due to voltage or current.
This
thread on Yahoo has some posters suggesting that it is related to the temperature of the stroke.
Anyone have any authoritative info on this?
Greg H.