HURRICANE, W.Va. — With $340 million up for grabs in the second-biggest lottery jackpot in U.S. history, people trekked to a small-town West Virginia convenience store to buy their tickets Tuesday in the apparent belief that lightning can strike twice in the same place.

Nearly three years ago, it was the C&L Super Serve in Hurricane that sold the ticket that made West Virginia contractor Jack Whittaker the winner of the nation’s biggest undivided jackpot: $314.9 million in the multi-state Powerball lottery.

Wednesday’s Powerball jackpot climbed into the stratosphere after 20 straight drawings in which no one won the grand prize.

‘‘It’s a lot of money to win for just playing a dollar,’’ 18-year-old construction worker Danny Loudin said after buying his ticket at the C&L.

Twenty-seven states, including Montana, offer Powerball, along with the District of Columbia and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

Edward Jarvis, a 39-year-old real estate agent, drove from New York’s Long Island to Greenwich, Conn., to buy $120 worth of tickets.

‘‘That’s worth an hour or two out of your day,’’ he said. ‘‘It’s cheaper than going to Atlantic City for a heck of a lot better return if you win.’’

What would he do if he won?

‘‘Not work,’’ he said, then changed it to work less. ‘‘It would be nice to be debt-free. I’d spend a lot more time with my kids and do the things I like to do — golf.’’

The odds of hitting all six numbers are 1 in 146 million.

The biggest lottery jackpot in U.S. history is $363 million, won by two ticketholders in Illinois and Michigan in 2000.

Associated Press writer John Christoffersen in Greenwich, Conn., contributed to this report.

On the Net:

Powerball: http://www.powerball.com

Montana Lottery: www.montanalottery.com