photo #7177392

Somewhere by Salisaw, Oklahoma, a giant lightning bolt slammed into the ground and pulsed for almost a second with indescribable energy. The rolling thunder with it was deafening and lasted for several seconds afterward as intracloud lightning flickered angrily, filling the air with multiple sonic booms. Maybe it woke some people. A lightning bolt of this incredible amplitude would surely have shaken the windows of any houses nearby. Maybe some people even saw it as they drove along the highway, in awe of the flickering, spider-like fingers of lightning licking along the cloud base. From my location many miles away, there was no sound or blinding light. The only remnant of this monster lightning bolt, one of the most powerful events on the planet, was a brief but massive flicker above it as the atmosphere was torn apart in a transient electric field. This is a red sprite.