Photos/Video: Lightning Strikes Off East End

July 23, 2012

[Updated with video] Numerous bolts of lightning could be seen over many parts of Bermuda this evening [July 23], with a frontal boundary lingering across Bermuda, causing showers and thunderstorms tonight.

The photos and video below were taken between 8.30pm and 9.10pm this evening from a location in St David’s pointing in a southerly direction.

A lightning strike caused a massive traffic jam at the Swing Bridge in St George’s, after an insulator on a utility pole was struck by lightning late this morning causing the bridge to get stuck for approximately one hour.

In addition, late this evening the police said the 911 emergency phone number was briefly knocked out of operation due to the inclement weather.

The Bermuda Weather Service had issued a Thunderstorm Advisory valid for this afternoon through to this evening, with tonight’s forecast predicting, “Mostly cloudy with occasional showers and thunderstorms… Winds west-northwesterly moderate, increasing moderate to strong at times, with possible gusts to gale force around showers and thunderstorms.”

The video above is the same clip twice, first at regular speed, then replayed in slow motion.

In describing the natural phenomenon, National Geographic says: “Cloud-to-ground lightning bolts are a common phenomenon—about 100 strike Earth’s surface every single second—yet their power is extraordinary.

“Each bolt can contain up to one billion volts of electricity. This enormous electrical discharge is caused by an imbalance between positive and negative charges.”

Click to enlarge images:

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Articles that link to this one:

  1. Lightning Strike Damages Bermuda Maritime Centre | Bernews.com | August 17, 2012
  1. Jamudian says:

    Kooool pics!

  2. younggeelady says:

    the pictures are cute although i heard that the lighting also struck a satellite at ZBM and left one of the radio channels not on. hope everyone there was okay and no one got hurt.

  3. The Defender says:

    Fantastic!!!

  4. Family Man says:

    Great photos. Glad to see someone was braver (crazier??) than me and actually went out to take pictures in that little thunder cell.

  5. Boom Bye Bye says:

    JAH RASTAFARI!!!!!!

  6. Gemini says:

    I hate lightening. Very afraid of it, I was sitting in the closet in a chair last night. My husband calls me a weather sissy. One time I gave a coworker a ride home and it started to lightening, I screamed and let go of the steering wheel. I made her so scared were she started praying.

  7. capricorn says:

    funneeee!!! a good laff on that one!! i thot i was bad, i am creating scaredie cats out of my sons with my screams!!! LOL!!

  8. Dante's Inferno says:

    If this isn’t proof that God exists I don’t know what is.

    • SummerBreeze says:

      Exactly! His Mighty Power is so Awesome! Loving’ it! I thanked God for cooling the Earth, the breeze was refreshing and the rain will fill our tanks and nurture the grounds. Thank God for showing us who You are…

    • science says:

      ORRRR, it could be that winds combined with water droplets cause a positive or negative charge build up in parts of a cloud and then discharge when they get to high….

  9. Joeseekinai says:

    I stod outside for about 45 mins with my girlfriends camera taking pictures of lightning and all I got was one little measly squiggle.

  10. Jamudian says:

    Lightening is essencial to life on earth…
    There are over 10,000 lightening bolts acroos the planet every second!!!
    70% of the strikes over the oceans(the earth is 70 percent water)…just fyi.
    ;)