Why is it that some lightning can be seen to originate from the earth towards the clouds?
96759
Some of these answers are good ones.  Clouds are charged, scientists can't agree why.  The tops of clouds are positively charged, the bottoms are negatively charged.  The negative charge at the bottom of the cloud repels negative ions in the earth's surface, which gives it a positive charge.  There are things called leaders and step leaders that seek out a path to relieve the difference in electrical potential.  As they reach out, then 'streamers' are generated on the opposing surface, like the ground, in response to the growing electrical field.  When these two meet this prepares the way for a lightning strike.  Usually this happens from cloud-to-ground, but it can also happen ground-to-cloud.\n\nOne of the best descriptions of how lightning strikes work can be found at http://science.howstuffworks.com/lightning5.htm
1030331
The clouds form when air near the earth's surface is warmed, causing it to rise since warm air rises. Think of a marshmallow in a microwave; as the microwave heats the marshmallow it begins to expand. This is similar to most things, like air. When air heats up it expands and this expanding air has to go somewhere because it is taking up more space, just as the marshmallow does, so this expanding warm air rises. Well, as the air rises it is losing its heat and cooling. When things cool, they condense; think of the marshmallow again as it cools when you take it out of the microwave (it shrinks, or condenses). In a general sense, to give you a brief idea of how clouds form, when condensation occurs, clouds take shape; you must keep in mind, however, that there is much more involved in cloud formation, but this was just to get you thinking and give a place for the lightning to happen.\n\nThe tendency of charges within a cloud is to have positive charges gather toward the upper portion and negative charges in the bottom of the cloud. \nWhen the difference between these charges is great enough to overcome the air's natural insulation, which keeps these charges from mixing, a lightning flash can take place. This charge difference builds up to millions of volts before the stoke of lightning takes place. The lightning bolt actually happens because nature tries to maintain equilibrium, a state of balance between all things. This is why the lightning that you see is a discharge of energy in the form of electricity. \n\nyea..thats the scientific answer to why it strikes...hope u can undertand it....i got it in skool\n\nas for how far away it is\n\ni learned that it comes from the "eye" of the storm or the center, && after the lightning flashes, count mississippi & the number of seconds equals a rought amount of miles you are away from the "eye" of the storm\n\nhope that helps
409956
Actually, there are 3 kinds of lightning strikes:  Cloud to cloud, Ground to Cloud and Cloud to ground.  So the answer to your question is yes.
93456
Some clouds contain +ve charge & some contain -ve. When both clouds come together in contact, they produce electricity which is the lightning.......
344047
The cause of lightning is still somewhat mysterious.  The leading theories state that an interaction between updrafts, rain droplets, and ice crystals in a thunderstorm separates positive from negative charges, such that positive charges concentrate at the top of the cloud, and negative charges at the bottom.  This negative charge in the cloud base induces a positive charge in the ground; lightning is an attempt to equalize this charge.\n\nThunder is basically a kind of explosion of air; it's what happens when the air the lightning passes through is violently heated and expands.  The reason thunder takes several seconds is because we hear thunder produced all along the lightning channel, which may be some miles long.
514416
The correct answer is yes it can.\n\nIn a thunder or cumulonimbus cloud the warm air rises and the cold air sinks, this movement of air causes a huge difference in the electrical distribution with the top of the cloud having a positive charge and the bottom having a negative charge.  A positive charge also builds up on the earths surface.\n\nEventually these charges built to such an extent that there is an electrical discharge from the negative charge at the base of the cloud towards the positive charge at the top of the cloud and also down to the positive charge on the ground.\n\nWhat actually happens is that the first discharge travels towards earth in short but very rapid bursts of about 100 meter lengths - when you see jagged strokes of lightening this is because each burst can change direction.  As it gets closer to earth the strength of the electrical field intensifies until contact is made with the earth.\n\nThis initial discharge is only a weak stroke of lightening and is called the Leader Stroke.  As soon as contact is made there is a much more powerful stroke of lightening which travels from the earth back to the cloud and this is the lightening we see, this is called the Return Stroke.
283845
Clearing a few things up:\nlightning can go from cloud to ground, ground to cloud, or cloud to cloud.\nThe charge buildup that causes the lightning is focused in the cloud and on the ground.  But the lightning doesn't go from one to the other and just stop.  The difference in charge becomes large enough to cause a "jump" between the air and ground (or whatever the source/target).  This is like an arc in an electrical current... the voltage builds up to a point where the inhibition of the atmosphere (or wire covering) aren't enough to contain it, cuasing the ions to jump from the one place to the other.  As an aside, lightning is caused by opposite charges building up.  Typical lightning is negative (negative charge flowing to positive charge).  Less common is positive lightning, which is much more powerful/damaging.  The -/+ ions flow to the opposite charge.  Lightning starts wth a stepped leader of particles "reaching out" from the source AND target until a path of low enough resistance is found at which time the lightning strikes.  The path is set and large amounts of ions flow along the path until the charge difference/voltage decreases to a point at which the resistance restrains the flow again.\nThe lightning doesn't stop at the ground when coming from the cloud... it keeps spreading out until the charge difference is neutralized/the energy dissipated.  This can lead to lightning ions travelling large distances into the ground (or along underground phone lines and such).\n\nTired of me talking?  Looking for a point?\nThe point is that you can be hit in the sky!  Partciles of air aren't directly grounded either, but the lightning goes through them.  Humans are less resistant than air (that's why being the tallest object in a thunderstorm is dangerous), so in theory you are the easier path.  And just because you aren't grounded doesn't mean you don't get burned as the lightning passes through you (just as it would if you were grounded).\n\nDoubt the danger is rediculously extreme, but its a threat.
263764
1) Echoes are caused because the sound bounces off the surrounding landscape, just like ripples in a pond reflect back from the edge and start going back in the other direction.\n2) Sound comes later than the lightning because sound goes about 700 mph and light goes about 990,000 times faster than that.  So if the lightning is 1 mile away, the light gets to you in a fraction of a second and the thunder arrives after 5 seconds.
654472
Hi, chris........both are actually the result of same thing,....\n\nwhen two clouds come together, there is electric discharge,\n\na cloud can be seen as a large capacitor.......\n\nso sound and light are produced at the same time.......\n\nsince sound travels at 330 mph, and light at 300000 mps\n\nsound reaches us later coz its very slow compared to light, so we see light immediately but it takes time for the sound to reach our ears..........\n\nwhich is better??? one doesnt happen without the other....\n\nthe power generated in a lightning is 50000 volts......\n\nscientists are trying to store the power these days, \n\nthe same they cant do with sound, and lighting is obviously more dangerous......
790168
Lightening (which causes the thunder) is caused by a static electrical charge build up inside very high clouds. The static build up is caused by the collision and rubbing of small ice particles way up in the clouds. If these particles get big enough they will fall down and depending on the temperature outside will either melt into rain, or could initiate crystal formation (snow).\n\nSo you see, there is nothing about whether its rain or snow that effects the mechanism of lightning generation. The reason that it is less common in the winter is that in order to produce the very high lightning generating clouds (anvil-topped cummilonimbus [sorry if spelt wrong!]) it requires very strong updrafts - This is more likely in the summer when the hot sun beating down heats air rapidly so it shoots up fast. But there are conditions in winter that can have the same effect (like collision between warm and cold fronts).
199333
It's part of the design. Don't worry about hitting by lightning where there are storms. Because lightning hit the highest peak of the terrain.\nI'll give you an example to clarify it. If you're walking in the rice field with your umbrella, you are likely to be hit because you are the highest peak compare to your surrounding. But if you're walking in a forest, you are not likely to be hit because there are trees much higher/taller than you.
207734
no, its a myth.  lightning is attracted to tall objects and metal objects (like lightning rods) so these get hit more often.
497622
It doesn't just happen all of a sudden, as OBIWAUGH pointed out, the movement of air caused by the storm causes the clouds to acquire a polarized electrical charge that by nature has to release its energy.\nThat energy is the lightning bolt reaching out to an oppositely charged object to balance the energy.
985303
i would say that the city lights are reflecting off the clouds.\n\never look outside and see red sky coming from a city direction?\nThats my guess I'm not positive
404054
Yes. Anywhere that there is lightning there is a possibillity for red lighting. Red lightning is caused by, lighting traveling from cloud to cloud. The clouds then distort the color.
73482
A thunderstorm, or an electrical storm, is a form of weather characterized by the presence of lightning and its attendant thunder. It is usually accompanied by copious rainfall, hail, or, on occasion, snowfall in the winter months (which is sometimes known as thundersnow).\n\nThunderstorms can happen anywhere in the world, with the greatest frequency in tropical rainforest areas, where they may occur nearly daily. In temperate regions, they are most frequent in summer, though can occur in cold fronts at any time of year.\n\nThunderstorms form when significant condensation, resulting in the production of a wide range of water droplets and ice crystals, occurs in an atmosphere that is unstable and supports deep, rapid upward motion. This often occurs in the presence of three conditions: sufficient moisture accumulated in the lower atmosphere, reflected by high dewpoint temperatures; a significant fall in air temperature with increasing height, known as a steep lapse rate; and a force such as mechanical convergence along a cold front that will focus the lift.\n\nThunderstorms have had a lasting and powerful influence on early civilizations. Romans thought them to be battles waged by Jupiter, who hurled lightning bolts forged by Vulcan. Thunderstorms were associated with the Thunderbirds, held by Native Americans to be a servant of the Great Spirit. In more contemporary times, thunderstorms now have taken on the role of a curiosity. Every spring, storm chasers head to the Great Plains of the United States and Canada's prairie provinces to explore the visual and scientific aspects of storms and tornadoes.\n----------------------------------------------------\nU can also find more here: http://www.nssl.noaa.gov/edu/storm/
28574
Lightning can happen when it snows.  The reason lighting happens is because the air in the clouds is negatively charged compared to the ground (making the clouds (-) and the gorund (+)).  The clouds usally get this way in dry conditions cause there is less moisture in the air to stop air molecules from rubbing up against one another and creating excess energy (a negative charge).  Well since the clouds are (-) it needs a way of getting rid of some energy so it can be neutral (n).  It does this by passing some energy in to the (+)  ground, which also want to be (n).  This passing of energy rips throught the (n) air in between the (-) clouds and the(+) ground and creats the effect of lightning.  Now the reason it usually doesn't happen when it snow is because of the moisture in the air being so high, but everyonce in a while the air become dry enough when it snow to produce lightning.