system
Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:
human
What kind of current is lightning? AC or DC?
gpt
It isn't really DC, but it is closer to DC than AC.

You have a charge built up between the cloud and the ground.  When the Arc is formed, the charges move in in one direction.

For example you have a Negativly Charged Cloud, a positive charged ground ( relative to cloud ).  The Arc is created, and electrons move from the cloud toward the ground.  If the cloud was postive, the direction is reversed.


However this isn't like a DC power source, the voltage and the current change *very* rapidly over time, far faster than your AC current does from the wall.  This isn't like a power supply, its a shock.