Lightning FAQ: Does lightning travel upwards or downwards?

By DAN ROBINSON Storm Highway Editor/Cameraman 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. >> Cloud-to-ground lightning: downward-moving For a cloud-to-ground discharge, the stepped leader begins in the lower section of a thunderstorm cloud and travels downward and initiates an upward-moving leader when it gets close to the ground (see animation below). The two meet in midair, usually at a point about 300 feet or less above ground. When the stepped leader and leader meet, they provide a conducting path for charge flow, like a wire connecting the cloud and the ground. There is then a huge flow of current upwards through the channel, brightly illuminating it. This animation depicts the stepped leader descending to meet the upward leaders extending from the ground, and the first and subsequent return strokes. This is an extremely slow-motion animation- the actual process takes only a small fraction of a second. >> Ground-to-cloud lightning: upward-moving This animation depicts a type of upward-moving ground-to-cloud lightning striking a tall television tower. See Also: How Lightning Works A detailed, step-by-step description of a cloud-to-ground lightning discharge. Lightning Discharges to TV Towers, Skyscrapers and other Tall Structures An in-depth look at ground-to-cloud or 'upward moving' lightning discharges to tall structures, including dramatic up-close imagery.

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