Blog Post #1- Lightning

What is up with lightning?

                       

So the other day I was driving back to school during a storm and saw some lightning. I began to wonder, "what causes lightning?"," What determines where lightning strikes?" "Why are there sometimes one single bolt of lighting and other times there are multiple bolts of lighting at once?"

During some really bad storms we had last semester my grandparents house got struck by lightning and caught fire! Their house had been hit by lightning before, but the only thing it did was make the electricity go off. Why was it different this time? Why did it cause a fire this time but not the other times? They live up on a very big hill in Columbia, TN. The lightning struck the highest point of their house. This makes me think that height/ proximity to the sky makes it more likely for things to be struck by lightning.

What other factors make something prone to being struck by lightning? I've always heard that water attracts lightning. You know when you're swimming and a storm comes, parents make you get out of the water, especially if they see lightning or hear thunder. In picture 3, it looks like the lightning is hitting water. I also have heard that metal attracts lightning. In picture 2, it looks like the lighting is hitting metal that is on top of a high tower. Are these statements about lighting being attracted to water and metal true? Are there other factors that affect where lightning strikes?

I would like to research and experiment to try and find some answers to these questions.