Minecraft – What level does lightning start at in minecraft

As of 1.2.1, the build limit doubled from 128 to 256, while cloud height appears to not have moved. This means you actually have more room to build above the clouds (about 128) than you do between sea level and the clouds (about 64).

As of Beta 1.8, clouds now appear above the build limit. Notch also claims to have made the level height more consistent throughout the code, which leads me to assume that the clouds will always remain above the build limit regardless of that actual number.

I tested this by building the tallest possible pillar in creative mode. Standing on top of it (picture 1) puts your head just above the clouds. Flying beside it (picture 2) confirms that the clouds are above the build limit. Standing on a 1 meter shorter pillar puts the clouds just above your head, meaning that the clouds are about 1.5 meters above the build limit.

It looks like, or is rendered to strike on an angle, but actually it only happens at the vertically highest (up to 127) solid block at its horizontal location. In other words, the lightning travels vertically downward through non-solid transparent blocks with a few exceptions you won't care. This is a theory from code reading, and it seems bckbck has verified this.