Nanosecond discharges at atmospheric pressure have a wide range of applications. The features of a nanosecond spark discharge formation strongly depend on the discharge gap geometry and the applied voltage. The present paper contains the results of near-electrode processes investigation at the initial stage of a spark discharge in air in the pin-to-plate geometry. Extra-high electron concentration in the range of $10^{19}\text{--}10^{20}\ \text{cm}^{-3}$ was obtained based on the Mach-Zehnder interferometer after breakdown near the surface of a flat cathode. It is confirmed that the discharge channel is a multitude of microchannels that close the discharge gap. Analysis of a flat electrode surface after breakdown shows that the channel binding region is a cluster of microcraters with diameter from 5 to $35\ \mu \text{m}$ . A model for the gas dynamics processes at the initial stage of a nanosecond spark discharge is proposed.
