Why do dogs have this thing about fire hydrants?
Before lightning strikes there are feelers of electricity that make their way down. The highest object is likely to make electrical contract with one of those feelers and when it does I believe the lightning bolt will find ground through the tree. Sometimes they go up and it is all very complicated. It is really too complicated for me to explain well and I don't remember the exact mechanism. It strikes the coconut tree more often because it is the tallest thing in the area.
Carrier Weathermaker 9200 Manual
