Where does lightning like to strike? How would one attract lightning?

Question

Is it magnetic areas of the earth? Could we insulate some of that material with momentary switching and collect lightning strikes for power?

Answer 1

Lightning. It avoids the ocean, but likes Florida. It's attracted to the Himalayas and even more so to central Africa. And lightning almost never strikes the north or south poles.

Lightning is a sudden discharge of electricity between charged regions of thunderclouds and the ground. Only about 25 percent of lightning strikes are cloud-to-ground. The rest are either cloud-to-cloud or intracloud.  

Another lightning hot spot is in the Himalayas where the extreme local topography forces the convergence of air masses from the Indian Ocean.

And where does lightning strike most frequently? Central Africa. "There you get thunderstorms all year 'round,"  "[It's a result of] weather patterns, air flow from the Atlantic Ocean, and enhancement by mountainous areas."

There are three main problems with harnessing lightning as a source of energy. First, lightning is not consistent. This is not important, since this source of energy would only be used to decrease our dependency from other sources of energy that cause pollution. Lightning would never be able to completely replace fossil fuels by itself; however it could be more economical and safer for the environment. Second, capturing lightning requires a lot of lightning rods and luck. I believe this is a minor issue too. Third and finally, converting lightning into a useful form of energy is the most difficult problem. Lightning is too strong of an electrical current to be easily stored directly into batteries. The cost of doing so would be astronomical too.

Answer 2

Targets are usually skyscrapers, trees, pointed metal objects (like an umbrella, for example), and anything with the highest altitude in an area. One would attract lightning by going into a wide open area where he can be the tallest thing. Or just simply carry an umbrella with a pointed metal tip and hold it high above you during a thunderstorm. I wouldn't recommend this, of course.

Answer 3

lightning strikes trees, metal objects and electrial currency in houses.  As for collecting lightning strikes for power, I think if it could be done it would already been done.

Answer 4

lightning likes to strike shroompaloos like u....so please be careful in lightning storms...i think it would be bes if u just skipped that subject and avoid lightning, bc at this point u have jynxed urself....RUN...HIDE....

Answer 5

lightning likes to strike any metal surface.

cell phones are one of the things that most attact lightning

due to the static discharge they release

the easiest way would probably be to go out in a field with no trees and build a metal tower that can divert lightning during a lightnig storm into a control electtric current

Answer 6

That "Storing Static Electricity" question has been researched many times, only to be railroaded by other relating issues (financing: cost and upkeep and GOVERNMENT.)

The MECHANICS of lightning (static electricity) deals with the buildup of POSITIVELY charged elements vs. their NEGATIVELY charged forces.

The water droplets, making cloud-forms are POSITIVELY charged as the droplets are forced upward and around each cloud formation.

The NEGATIVELY charged forces on the ground attract the positive elements.

Depending upon the strength and speed of the Positive-charge (raindrops) %how FAST and STRONG are the winds that caused the cloulds and how much force is in them determines how much static electricity (lightning) will be seen.