Lightening: Does it have to hit the ground?

Question

Yesterday I saw a lightening bolt that seemed to swirl around in the sky with the tail leading back into the clouds. How does that work?

Answer 1

The mountain afar shows the displacement of our loathings.

Answer 2

My answer to you wasn't good enough...

darn

Answer 3

There are severaly types of lightning. There is intercloud lightning, intacloud lightning, and cloud to ground lightning. Inter cloud is where lightning goes from one cloud to the other, and intacloud lightning is where lightning is staying in the cloud and usually going from the top of the cloud where it is positively charged to the bottom of the cloud where it is negitively charged. Then cloud to ground, where lightning goes from a cloud to the ground

Answer 4

yes to take a sinner away

Answer 5

Lightening doesn't have to hit the ground.  Cloud to cloud lightening is very common.  It is just a release of static electricity on a grand scale, and will jump from anything of one potential to something of the opposite potential.  Lightening often strikes airplanes, and can do some serious damage to them.

Answer 6

No, it doesn't.  It can occur in cloud,  from cloud to cloud,  ground to cloud as well.   The clouds and surrounding airmass have both positive and negative charges and it is those differences in polarity that help cause lightning and how it performs.