Strike Me Dead! Volcano Eruption and Lightning Meet in a Rare Weather Phenomenon

In this video a volcano is seen spitting out gray clouds of ash when, much to viewers' delight, it suddenly gets struck by lightning. However, the bolt didn't come from the sky — it was volcanic lightning. The unusual weather phenomenon is often referred to as a "dirty thunderstorm." Electrical charges are generated when rock fragments, ash, and ice particles in a volcanic plume collide and produce static charges, just as ice particles collide in regular thunderstorms.