What is the maximum path that lightning can travel?

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    Lightning Maximum Path
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SUMMARY

Lightning has a greater potential to travel horizontally than vertically due to the vast distances covered by the Earth's surface compared to the atmosphere. Cumulonimbus clouds, which can span several miles and reach altitudes of up to 23,000 meters (75,000 feet), facilitate this horizontal travel. Additionally, phenomena such as "bolt from the blue" can strike from anvil clouds located as far as thirty miles away from the storm, further emphasizing the extensive horizontal reach of lightning.

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  • Knowledge of lightning phenomena, including "bolt from the blue".
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  • Research the structure and characteristics of cumulonimbus clouds.
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  • Investigate the phenomenon of "bolt from the blue" and its implications.
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Where does lightning have the potential to travel farther - vertically or horizontally?
 
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Loren Booda said:
Where does lightning have the potential to travel farther - vertically or horizontally?

The answer is fairly obvious once you ponder it for a few moments. First, consider how far reaching the atmosphere is vertically, then consider how much greater are the distances of the Earth's surface horizontally. Horizontal lightning arcs therefore have the greatest potential distance to travel.
 
The base of a cumulonimbus [thunderhead] can be several miles across, and it can be tall enough to occupy middle as well as low altitudes; though formed at an altitude of about 3,000 to 4,000 meters (10,000 to 12,000 feet), its peak can reach up to 23,000 meters (75,000 feet)[citation needed] in extreme cases (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cumulonimbus" ).

A bolt from the blue is a form of lightning that strikes out of an apparently cloudless sky. In fact, it actually originates from the anvil cloud atop a thunderstorm which may be as far as thirty miles [~50,000 meters] away (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bolt_from_the_blue" ).
 
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