It’s not true that lightning pole attract lightning. … Lightning pole (or “air terminals,” as they’re known in the lightning protection business) provide a preferential path – a path of low resistance – for lightning to flow to the ground around the house. “Cell phones, small metal items, jewelry, etc., do not attract lightning. Nothing attracts lightning. Lightning tends to strike taller objects,” said John Jensenius, a NOAA National Weather Service lightning expert. “People are struck because they are in the wrong place at the wrong time.
Do lightning poles actually work? Yes they really do. Lightning poles intercept the voltage, providing a safe path for lightning current into the ground. They do not decrease the likelihood your home may be struck, but provide a direct path to ground, preventing damage to your home from fire, explosion, and electrical surges that can result from lightning strikes. Lightning poles (and the accompanying protection system) are designed to protect a house or building from a direct lightning strike and, in particular, a lightning-initiated fire.
If lightning hits the structure, it will preferentially strike the rod and be conducted to ground through a wire, instead of passing through the structure, where it could start a fire or cause electrocution. Lightning pole are also called finials, air terminals, or strike termination devices. Lightning rod types, Vertical rods or masts for example: from 2m to 30m in height create lightning protection zones that extend in a 45° cone from the rod’s tip.
