Unlike cloud-to-ground lightning which starts inside the thunderstorm, a ground-to-cloud lightning flash begins from a tall ground-based object and moves upward. This type of lightning is common with strikes to towers and skyscrapers: read more.
Is it possible for Lightning to move upwards?
Upward lightning or ground-to-cloud lightning is a lightning flash which originates from the top of a grounded object and propagates upward from this point. This type of lightning can be triggered by a preceding lightning flash, or it may initiate entirely on its own.
The answer is BOTH: There are distinct types of lightning strikes to earth that can travel in either direction – cloud-to-ground lightning and ground-to-cloud lightning.
Another frequently asked query is “Does lightning travel up or down?”.
Lightning can travel both up and down. The stepped leader carries tons of negative charge. As it nears the ground, it induces enormous quantities of positive charge in the earth, especially at the tips of tall objects.
Which way does lightning travel?
Lightning is a huge electrical discharge that results from vigorous motions that occur in thunderstorms. Lightning can travel from cloud to cloud, within the same cloud, or between the cloud and ground. In-cloud lightning discharges are more common than cloud-to-ground discharges and are not as hazardous.
Does Lightning travel in a straight line?
The path it chooses doesn’t have to be a straight line (remember, a straight line means ‘the least distance’ and not ‘the least resistance’). In fact, you will never see a straight bolt of lightning, at least not in the real world.
Does Lightning really travel from the ground up?
It actually does come from ground up typically a lightning stroke is caused by a step leader that breaks down the insulation of the air, when it reaches the ground the brilliant flash you see is the lightning discharge returning from the ground to its source although in rare cases you can have cloud to ground lightning.
This is what causes the lightning and as the earth is positively charged the bolt of lightning tends to travel down to earth. Lightning travels from sky to earth. The cloud is at high potential and it induces a opposite potential on the ground objects which is further connected to ground. The lighting in because of very high potential development.
Gather on the ground. A cloud to ground lightning strike begins as an invisible channel of electrically charged air moving from the cloud toward the ground. When one channel nears an object on the ground, a powerful surge of electricity from the ground moves upward to the clouds and produces the visible lightning strike.
Lightning can travel from cloud to cloud, within the same cloud, or between the cloud and ground. In-cloud lightning discharges are more common than cloud-to-ground discharges and are not as hazardous.
Another frequent inquiry is “Where does Lightning come from in the sky?”.
Cloud-to-ground lightning starts from the sky and heads downward but what we see can travel from the ground upward. Over the last twenty years scientists have discovered that lightning also shoots upward out of the top of thunderstorms into the upper atmosphere. These lightning types are known as red sprites, elves and blue jets.
Does lightning strike down or up from the ground?
The “natural” lightning starts in the cloud and travels to ground. The upward strikes start at the “ground,” – which need not be the actual surface of Earth; it may be the top portion of a steel tower – and travels upward into the cloud. There are Cloud-to-ground lightning strikes, but the ‘bolt’ that we see goes from the ground up.
Another thing we asked ourselves was, what happens when lightning strikes the ground?
For a negative cloud-to-ground discharge (the most common type of lightning striking the ground), the negative end of this bidirectional leader begins heading toward the ground. This stepped leader (the channel of ionized air) propagates downward.
Can Lightning travel through the telephone lines and hurt you?
While it is safe to use a cellphone (if it’s not plugged into a wall charger, that is) during a thunderstorm, it is not safe to use your landline. Lightning can travel through the phone lines—and if it does, you could be electrocuted. You should never stand out in the open during a thunderstorm—inside an enclosed building is the safest place to be.