Blue lightning during a hurricane

[boca]

At our gathering tonight we talked about blue lightning during a hurricane. I said it was simply transformers blowing up. Another person said it happens during extreme intense weather obviously during a hurricane. Which is it, not knowing is killing me.

[CajunMama]

I've seen green lightning during a severe thunderstorm (which i think was something about the ions in the atmosphere but i can't exactly remember) but i've never heard of blue lightning.

[robbielyn]

Its transformers blowing. I asked an expert meteorologist this question before, and he said it was transformers. However, its emerald green rather than blue. it's a beautiful site for sure. I thought it was lightning too when hurricane Kate came through but it was transformers. robbie

[Cyclenall]

That one Hurricane Charley video that was from inside the eyewall (not the gas station video) showed a parking lot and when these huge gusts came in you could see like 15 transformers blowing like in 1 second in the background. It looks like sky lightning but it's not. That video and the gas station one is just amazing to watch.

[SCMedic]

Got a link?

[Extremeweatherguy]

The transformers popping during a storm are amazing. During Charley, thousands of them were going everywhere. It looked like forth of July. To me, it was very easy to tell it was not lightning. However, some storms (especially weak or weakening ones) have had real lightning bolts in the eyewall.

[HurricaneHunter914]

You can tell that the blue lightning is transformers because you never here the loud cracking sound after the flash. Love how they light up the sky though.

[cheezyWXguy]

ive seen it in sever thunderstorms...i once heard it means there maybe hail in the storm...

[StormScanWx]

Anyone ever seen ball lightning?

[Ola]

Im more scared of lightning than of an actual hurricane. Back in 1992 when I was in Basic Training in Fort Sill OK, we were in the field one night and got caught in a severe thunderstorm at night. There was so much lightning it was almost like daylight. We were in the open and lightning was stirking everywhere around us. I dont think I have ever been more scared, not during any hurrican I have been through here in PR. Nothing happened to any of us thankfully but I will never forget those 45 minutes or so. I really thought someone was gonna die out there.

[Hybridstorm_November2001]

I've only seen one transformer blow, and that was during the "Santa Storm" in December of 1994. In the night high winds toppled a tree into a power pole near my home, knocking it to the ground the transformer exploded in the process. Quite a frightening, and awesome sight.

[JPmia]

I suspect it is more than just transformers, i mean why can't it be lightning? When the power is out for many miles in either direction and the phenomenon is still occurring then what is it?

[Eyewall]

There are still power running through some poles..
I was in north broward county during Wilma and the sound that came after a transformer blew was definitely not thunder

[flashflood]

During Katrina, I saw the blue/green lightning from the transformers/power lines and I also saw real lightning from the storms rotating around the center. The real lightning was seen as being originated from very high up in the atmosphere and it was bright white in appearance. The blue/green lightning was mostly surface originated and lasted a bit longer. I actually got this on video at the time it happened, I will review this and see if I can get this uploaded somewhere.

[Opal storm]

During Ivan there was a amazing display of transformers blowing up in my neighborhood.Though it was more green than blue,it lit up the sky almost as bright as the sun.

[Cyclenall]

Got a link?

Someone months ago posted a link when he was making a category scale with videos included. I think it was Extremeweatherguy who did that topic.

[Extremeweatherguy]

http://www.storm2k.org/phpbb2/viewtopic ... ane+damage

[vacanechaser]

you guys are partly right... it is transformers but it is also blue lightning.... great example was during isidore when we were in gulfport on urie pier... mark and i noticed it out over the water, where no transformers live..lol... as we traveled around the area later, we saw more, much more and herd the thunder as well.. at this time, we did not know because of the satellite eclipse, but isidore was intensifying before it hit the coast.... much tigher circulation and tons more convection going off near and over the circulation... not just the center.... it was blue in apperance and not real bright, but it was lightning.. being a lightning photographer myself, i know lightning when i see it... i tried to catch some on video, and will have to go through the tapes to see if i did... i remember sticking the camera out the window trying to film it and record the thunder... will look for that later...


Jesse V. Bass III
http://www.vastormphoto.com
Hurricane Intercept Research Team

[Wthrman13]

I saw plenty of transformer/power line flashes during the landfall of Frances, but no natural lightning. It was quite eerie at times.

[vacanechaser]

I saw plenty of transformer/power line flashes during the landfall of Frances, but no natural lightning. It was quite eerie at times.

yea, me too... there were plenty off to the south of my location....

here are two examples of the transformers..






but this is clearly near the ground.... something that was not the case in isidore



Jesse V. Bass III
http://www.vastormphoto.com
Hurricane Intercept Research Team