How high in the atmosphere is lightning formed or discharged?
When most people think of lightning, they think of cloud-to-ground lightning, which typically forms 25,000 to 50,000 feet above the ground. This occurs due to a build-up of an electrical charge in the lowest levels of the thunderstorm, which then discharges to the ground. However, the most common form of lightning is cloud-to-cloud lightning, which can occur at many levels within a tall thunderstorm. Some discharges, known as “red sprites,” occur above thunderstorms, and have been known to reach heights of 60 miles.
