Where Does Lightning Begin?

Lightning begins in the ground. I learned this in school...it has something to do with negative and positive charges that make it travel up to the sky and discharge back into the ground. You'll have to look it up because I know I'm not all the way right...but I'm positive that lightning begins in the ground.

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Lightning is a natural phenomena, it is nothing but electricity produced during a thunderstorm. Lightning is beautiful and at the same time life taking, sometimes. Lightning is generally followed by a thunderstorm.

At any time of the day, lightning may occur. The temperature rapidly falls high up in the sky, many small bits of ice, dust or water droplets collide with each other while they are moving in the air, as they collide they create an electric charge. These electric charges fill up the clouds, which are full of moisture and become voluminous. Negative charges are build; simultaneously positive charge builds upon the ground below. The difference in charges becomes substantial, one witnesses charges moving from the clouds to the ground below, or from one cloud to another. As unlike charges attract each other, negative charges move downwards and positive charges from the ground move upwards. It is during this movement that brilliant flashes of light are visible which is termed as lightning.

The charge coming down from the clouds connects with the charge on the ground beneath, brilliant sparks fly from the sky to the ground, and thus lightning begins from the sky.
Another interpretation could be, charges on the ground move upwards to meet charges in the cloud; the fact remains that in reality lightning has travelled up from the ground.

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