RUFUS, Ore. – People in rural parts of Oregon were graced with a wild lightning show that lit up the sky on Thursday.
A video captured in Rufus, Oregon, shows a severe line of storms moving through the area, creating dark, gloomy skies.
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While on the road, locals captured an astonishing moment when lightning seemed to shoot up from the ground.
According to the National Weather Service (NWS), a total of 3,728 ground lightning strikes occurred across Pendleton County, located about two hours away.
The dark skyline was lit up for a moment before the strands of lightning bolts appeared, almost like trees growing from the ground.
According to the Royal Meteorological Society, upward lighting primarily occurs near positive cloud-to-ground flashes.
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“Upward discharges almost always occur from towers, tall buildings or mountain tops,” the NWS said in a statement. “In addition, they are thought to occur only when there is a rapid change in the charges aloft, most likely due to a very recent lightning strike.”
The electric field change caused by prior flashes can make a tall, upwardly pointing object, such as a wind turbine or tower, create this phenomenon.
Video footage shared by Garret Hartung via Storyful shows lightning amid tall wind turbines, which could explain the fascinating event.
