LightningStrike.mp4

I was taking video of a lightning storm tonight & this is a frame capture. You will notice the lightning in the background, but also the red lightning in the foreground. The strike was in front of a bush 20 feet from me! The fact that the strike is in front of the bush means that......It was VERY CLOSE!...

I like how it illuminates the bush a little bit behind the bolt of lightning. You can see the bush lit up a bit, as opposed to the bush in the very front that is pitch black. That lighting is evidence that the strike was in between the two bushes of the next door neighbor's front yard!

My friend noticed that the red strike appears to be from the ground up. If anyone has any info on this....please share.

RESPONSE FROM LOCAL NEWS:

Thank you for sending your amazing photo! It's so nice to finally get some rain and thunderstorms in our area...it's been far too long!

That photo may actually be showing a bolt (foreground) moving upward from the ground. When lightning strikes, there are small segments called "stepped leaders" that forge part of the path for the lightning to travel toward the ground. They usually extend upward from taller objects in the area toward the parent cloud above. Definitely too close for comfort!

Thanks again for your great picture and for watching KOB Channel 4...we all appreciate it!

Jason Stiff
KOB Chief Meteorologist

Category:

Science & Technology

Tags:

• NM storm