Ask A Scientist© Weather Archive

> >>  name       Nancy
> >>  status     educator
> >>  age        40s
>
> >>  Question - I was watching a thunder and lightening storm that was about 10 miles away from me. One lightening strike caused a big, bright blue ball of light to form at ground level, and then flash away quickly. The bright blue ball of light looked sort of like an explosion.

What was the big bright blue ball of light? What caused it?
>
>
>Nancy,
>
>The blue ball of light may have been an explosion,
>but it may have been a strike to an electrical
>facility (power line for instance). I have seen
>something similar when lightning struck a high
>power line tower.
>
>David Cook
>Argonne National Laboratory


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