Fun with Lightning

[Disneyu]

Hiya smart people!
When lightning strikes water, how far does the electricity travel (horizontally and vertically) before it fizzles out? Also, does it vary if it is freshwater or saltwater? I guess there are a lot of variables to consider. I just want to hear a good story.
Heyward

[Larry_Mudd]

You may find this thread and some of the links therein enlightening.

Your two main questions are answered there: Salt water is a much better conductor than fresh water, and the strike doesn’t penetrate very deeply. David Simmons explains why:

@David Simmons

The conductivity of the water is of minor important. A lightning strike isn’t something that roars down out of the sky and rams into the sea. Rain falling from the cloud carries electrons along with some of the droplets. The negative charges charge accumulates on the surface of the sea and since they came from the cloud, the bottom of the cloud develops a positive charge. The attraction between these masses of charged particles keeps the negative charge on the surface and the positive charge on the bottom of the cloud. Sooner or later there is a rapid transfer of the negative charge from the surface of the sea back up to the cloud. The lightning strike doesn’t penetrate into the sea.