How does Lightning Strike Ground?
First does the lightning come from cloud to ground or ground to sky? Well, lightning occurs in three ways:
a) Cloud to cloud
b) Cloud to ground
C) Ground to Cloud
Lightning occurs as negative charge resides under the storm cloud and positive ones above the storm cloud. Sometimes a leader charge moves to the ground creating a cloud to ground lightning. Ground to cloud lightning occurs when the negatively charged ions move upwards and meet the positively charged clouds.
Lightning can be natural lightning or artificial lightning. An artificial lightning is the one which is induced by large structures, buildings or planes or rockets. Most of the artificial lightening moves from ground to cloud and natural lightning from “cloud to cloud” or “cloud to ground.”

Artificial Lightning

Natural Lightning
Power of lightning:
The average peak power output from a single strike of lightning is estimated to be around 1 terawatt i.e 1000000000000 W even though the stroke lasts for only around 30 microseconds. Lightning heats the air in its path to as high as 20000 degree celsius.
