When a discharge occurs as the insulation of the atmosphere between a thundercloud and the ground breaks down, if a building or tree is in the discharge path, it is called a direct lightning strike. This is the phenomenon commonly referred to as “being struck by lightning.”
When negative charges descend from the cloud to the ground, it is called negative polarity lightning, which accounts for about 90% of all lightning strikes. Conversely, in cases like winter lightning, where discharge occurs directly between the positive charge in the cloud and negative charge on the ground, it is called positive polarity lightning (accounting for about 10% of all lightning strikes).
