Bolt from the blue: Video captures lightning striking a palm tree – despite clear skies above in Florida
- The lightning struck downwards into a tree in suburban Tampa in daylight
- The odd footage was captured from the inside of a Florida man’s car
- An eruption of thunder can be heard in the video before the lightning tears through the top of the tree
This is the moment a fork of lightning strikes a palm-tree despite clear blue skies in Florida.
The unusual footage was captured from the inside of a Florida man’s car, while he was around 75ft away from the strike.
Johnathan Moore was hard at work in suburban Tampa when the bolt struck the palm tree. An eruption of thunder can be heard in the video before the lightning tears through the top of the tree.
The unusual footage was captured from the inside of a Florida man’s car, while he was around 75ft away from the strike (Pictured: The palm tree before it was struck)
The unusual footage was captured from the inside of a Florida man’s car, while he was around 75ft away from the strike (Pictured: The palm tree as the lightning makes contact)
Storms had been expected on the day of the footage, but unlike usual lightning strikes, this struck in broad daylight.
The occurrence, referred to as a ‘bolt from the blue’ by meteorologists, can travel several miles from thunderstorm clouds. They then angle downward before striking into the earth.
Moore, whose dashcam recorded the footage, said he saw the unusual strike as an opportunity to warn others to be on alert.
The unusual footage was captured from the inside of a Florida man’s car, while he was around 75ft away from the strike (Pictured: The palm tree seems alight after the lightning struck in broad daylight in Florida)
The central Florida peninsula has the highest lightning concentration in the U.S, NBC reported, citing the National Weather Service.
Peak lighning season in the peninsula happens between May and October, from midday to midnight.
In 2019, 27 people were killed by lightning in the U.S. and another 243 were injured, according to NWS.
Lightning strikes have so far killed 12 people this year.