Who doesn’t love a day at the beach? The hot sun, the warm sand, and a beautiful view of the ocean to rejuvenate your soul. For those who like to vacation in Daytona Beach, Florida – soaking up the rays with a sea of other beach-goers is nothing new.
Although a lot of people might prefer sunny weather to get a good tan, others would rather take advantage of a deserted beach on a rainy day. When one man chose the latter, he actually captured something pretty incredible on film…
The footage below was taken in Daytona Beach by a man named Clint Blevins.
It was a rainy day in June when he shot the video, which is presumably why the beach appears completely empty. But it’s still just as gorgeous with the gray sky, rolling waves, and overall calmness.
Shortly into the video, Mother Nature has an interruption to make. A huge bolt of lightning can be seen striking the ocean far in the distance. However, it’s not why Clint’s footage went viral.
Watching a storm is certainly mesmerizing, but lightning can be extremely dangerous too.
According to National Geographic, lightning takes approximately 2,000 lives a year across the globe. Fortunately, most do survive a lightning strike – although there can be long-term side effects like memory loss, numbness, weakness, dizziness, and more. They also say that a typical American has around 1 in 5,000 odds of being struck during their lifetime.
Clint was still filming when another bolt of lightning hit the water. This one was a lot closer though.
We’ve all seen lightning a million times in the sky, and perhaps some that made you say, “Whoa!” Clint’s footage, however, shows a strike that seems like it’s straight out of a superhero movie.
It’s almost like there’s a huge scary explosion in the ocean at first. The once dreary sky lights up bright, along with the beach as well.
Everything happens in the blink of an eye.
After giving the appearance of an explosion, the magnificent bolt can be seen striking the water. The area stays illuminated because of its intense brightness.
The National Severe Storms Laboratory website says:
“Lightning can have 100 million to 1 billion volts, and contains billions of watts.”
When Clint Blevins shared the video on YouTube he titled it, “Lightning in Slow Motion.”
His footage allows you to see the lightning bolt up close, and enjoy its changing appearance as well. Yet, all of it takes place within the same few seconds.
The sky dims and goes back to normal after the strike. Immediately, a clap of thunder can be heard.
You can tell how close lightning is with a little calculation, according to the National Weather Service. They explain:
“If you count the number of seconds between the flash of lightning and the sound of thunder, and then divide by 5, you’ll get the distance in miles to the lightning: 5 seconds = 1 mile, 15 seconds = 3 miles, 0 seconds = very close.”
It’s obvious that Clint didn’t even need to do any calculating to determine that the lighting was “very close.” He could see it right before his eyes!
The world is full of beauty that you can experience out in nature. However, it’s not every day that you see something like this up close – let alone capture it on film.
Press play on the video below to see this phenomenal lightning strike in Florida for yourself!
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