Does every bolt of lightning hit something?

Answer 1

For cloud to ground lightning, it has to make contact with the ground in order for the current to flow.

To make a long story short, a path is created from the cloud to the ground by negative charges trying to meet with the positive charges on the ground (or building, human, whatever). When they can finally meet, a channel is created for the negative charges to flow to the ground. But, what we see as lightning is the the current flowing from the GROUND to the CLOUD. So what we're seeing is light traveling upward, rather than down.

But to answer your question, lightning can't just 'strike' midair, it must have a 'connection' on the ground. This is only for cloud-to-ground lightning, though.

Answer 2

If you allow "area of charge difference" as part of the definition of "something", then every bolt (i.e., visible discharge current flow) flows between two "somethings". Incidentally there are also intra-cloud discharges, not just cloud to ground or inter-cloud. Intra-cloud discharges are the most common type. See the reference, which also mentions cloud-to-air lightning and describes three kinds of cloud-to-stratosphere discharges, "red sprites", "blue jets", and "elves".

Answer 3

Lightning will either hit a cloud or the ground (or something on the ground). Choose your poison.

Answer 4

sometimes, but the most frequent objects hit by lightening is usually in cities with high sky scrapers, lightening also transferred in between clouds, meet in the middle, hit the ground, but transferring from the ground to the sky is highly unprobable because noone really saw this happen

Answer 5

Actually no, there are bolts that cross between clouds.

Answer 6

Actually lightening meets in the middle.

Answer 7

Sometimes it does, sometimes it doesn't.Depends on how strong the charges it has.

Answer 8

yes all ligtnigs strike something or the other.

Answer 9

No,it dosen't

Answer 10

no