Have you ever looked out at the sky during a thunderstorm with a sense of awe and wonder as lightning danced across the heavens?

Preferably from a safe location, of course.

The lightning magic in my M/M paranormal romance novel Strikes Twice may be extraordinary, and entirely fictional, but the real-life world of lightning is pretty impressive in its own right. Let’s explore several lightning phenomena that blur the lines between scientific understanding and sheer magic.

Ball Lightning

Picture a luminous sphere, glowing with an otherworldly light, drifting through the air like a visitor from another dimension. That’s ball lightning.

These spheres often appear during thunderstorms in a variety of colors, either hovering near the ground or dancing amongst the clouds. They can last from a few fleeting seconds to several minutes, moving erratically before vanishing, sometimes with a startling explosive pop.

Its formation process is still a puzzle that scientists struggle to fully explain. Several theories attempt to unravel the enigma, ranging from vaporized silicon ignited by a lightning strike to small black holes colliding with Earth’s atmosphere… I’m not an expert here, but that one sounds equally awesome and unlikely. More grounded hypotheses propose plasma clouds confined by swirling magnetic fields, or nanoparticles of metallic oxides ignited by lightning, though none have been definitively proven.

One notable historical account tells of Czar Nicholas II witnessing a fiery sphere during a church service he attended with his grandfather, Alexander II. Both men described a glowing ball that materialized within the church, moved across the room, and then vanished. Other stories describe ball lightning entering homes through windows or even chimneys, sometimes leaving burn marks in their wake.

St. Elmo’s Fire

Another electrical phenomenon associated with thunderstorms is St. Elmo’s fire. The movie Rob Lowe starred in a loooong time ago was a bit before my time though I recognize the name. Had no idea this was what it referred to.

St. Elmo’s fire manifests as a luminous plasma, a soft glow that emanates from pointed objects like masts, spires, or chimneys. A faint ethereal light, typically blue or violet, sometimes tinged with green, clinging to the edges of these structures like a spectral flame. This occurs when the atmosphere becomes electrically charged during stormy weather, causing the air molecules to ionize and create a visible corona discharge, much like the glow around a high-voltage electrical line.

The electric field required to create St. Elmo’s fire is typically very strong, often preceding a lightning strike. However, unlike lightning, St. Elmo’s fire itself is not dangerous. Out of all of these, this one is probably something I could have seen before, but I don’t think I have.

Throughout history, St. Elmo’s fire has held a significant place in maritime lore. Sailors often viewed its appearance as a good omen, a sign of protection from their patron saint, Erasmus of Formiae, also known as St. Elmo. They believed the glowing phenomenon indicated the saint’s presence, watching over them during storms.

Upper-Atmospheric Lightning (Transient Luminous Events)

High above the familiar flashes of lightning that illuminate storm clouds, a hidden world of luminous events unfolds. Transient Luminous Events (TLEs), occur in the upper atmosphere and include:

• Sprites: Fleeting bursts of bright red light, resembling jellyfish or carrots, appearing high above thunderstorms. These are the most common type of TLE. They occur in the mesosphere above the Earth’s surface and are often triggered by powerful positive cloud-to-ground lightning strikes.
• Blue Jets: As their name suggests, blue jets are narrow cones of blue light that shoot upwards from the tops of thunderclouds. They are faster than sprites and thought to be associated with strong updrafts within the storm.
• strikes. Maybe not the most common or impressive, but they have the coolest name due to the acronym.
• Gigantic Jets: The most impressive of the TLEs, gigantic jets are massive electrical discharges that connect thunderstorms to the lower edge of the ionosphere. They are much larger and more powerful than blue jets and appear as a bright column of light extending from the cloud tops.
• ELVES (Emissions of Light and Very Low Frequency Perturbations due to Electromagnetic Pulse Sources): ELVES are rapidly expanding rings of light that appear in the ionosphere. They are extremely brief, lasting only a millisecond, and are caused by the electromagnetic pulses generated by lightning strikes. Maybe not the most common or impressive, but they have the coolest name due to the acronym.

The scientific community is still unraveling the mysteries of these upper-atmospheric phenomena. While high-speed cameras and specialized instruments have allowed researchers to study TLEs in more detail, many questions remain about their formation, frequency, and overall impact on the Earth’s atmosphere.

Catatumbo Lightning

In a remote corner of Venezuela, where the Catatumbo River meets Lake Maracaibo, a breathtaking spectacle of nature unfolds. Known as the “Beacon of Maracaibo” or the “everlasting storm,” Catatumbo lightning is a unique atmospheric phenomenon that produces almost continuous lightning displays. Imagine a relentless barrage of lightning illuminating the night sky, flashing across the horizon up to 280 times per hour, for up to 10 hours a day, and occurring on as many as 160 nights a year. This nearly constant illumination has served as a natural lighthouse for navigators for centuries.

A unique combination of geographical and meteorological factors make this possible. The warm, moist air from the Caribbean Sea flows over the lake and collides with the cold air descending from the Andes Mountains, creating ideal conditions for thunderstorms. The presence of methane, rising from the nearby marshes and oil fields, is believed to contribute to the electrical conductivity of the atmosphere, further enhancing the lightning activity. The lightning also plays a crucial role in replenishing the ozone layer in the region.

This one sounds the most magical, eternal lightning. Might be a good idea for a fantasy setting in there too, a mystical city where lightning always strikes and lights up the sky. Reading about it sounds beautiful, but it’s possible I’d be scared to experience it firsthand.

Superbolts

Rare and extraordinarily powerful lightning strikes are known as superbolts. Unlike regular lightning, which typically carries tens of thousands of amperes of current, superbolts can unleash currents exceeding a million amperes, packing an energy punch hundreds of times greater than their more common counterparts. With lightning so bright it momentarily outshines the entire surrounding area, these bolts release enough energy to power a small city for a short period.

Occurring only about once in every 240 lightning strikes, the exact mechanisms that give rise to superbolts are still being investigated. Some research indicates a higher likelihood of superbolts occurring over the ocean, particularly in the winter months.

Upward Lightning (Ground-to-Cloud Lightning)

As the name suggests, this type of lightning originates from tall structures on the ground, such as skyscrapers, radio towers, or mountain peaks, and propagates upwards toward the clouds. Imagine a bolt of lightning defying gravity, reaching up from the Earth to touch the sky.

Several factors can trigger upward lightning. Sometimes, it’s initiated by a preceding downward lightning strike, creating a channel of ionized air that allows the upward discharge to follow. In other cases, upward lightning can occur spontaneously, particularly during the colder months or in thundersnow events when the cloud base is lower to the ground, reducing the distance required for the electrical discharge.

How Striking

From the eerie glow of ball lightning to the majestic spectacle of Catatumbo lightning, the world of electrical phenomena is full of wonder and beauty. I’ve never been a storm chaser or someone who feels comfortable outside when the weather is stormy, but reading about lightning and watching videos almost makes me want to be more adventurous. Almost. I am an author, so maybe reading about unique natural spectacles is more my speed anyway.

Sources:

• National Weather Service. Lightning Types.
• Scientific American. Ball Lightning: A Shocking Scientific Mystery.
• National Geographic. St. Elmo’s Fire.
• Rakov, Vladimir A., & Uman, Martin A. (2003). Lightning: Physics and Effects. Cambridge University Press.