Strange Ball of Lightning

9 Strange Ball of Lightning Science is all about explaining. There are, however, some things-like lightning balls-that science cannot explain. One summer, five years ago, I experienced a ball of lightning. It was frightening and strange, and it forever changed the way I felt during a thunderstorm. I was sitting in my kitchen, watching the end of a large thunderstorm. The day was quieting after the storm. The rain had stopped, and it was beginning to clear up. Suddenly, a loud crack rang out. There was a loud explosion at the ground below the kitchen window. Without warning, a ball of what seemed like fire or electricity entered my home and moved in a slow, steady pattern, directly towards me as I sat in my chair. I was frozen, unable to move. I watched the ball of lightning heading straight for my face. It was about the size of a soccer ball. It was extremely colourful and seemed to have little hairs of fire sprouting out all over its surface. The ball of lightning was about three feet off the floor. It moved slowly and steadily and did not waver up or down. I could feel the hair on my head standing up. Goosebumps formed on my skin as I sat there watching it.

Just as the lightning ball was about to make contact with my face, I reached out with my finger to touch the ball. My feeling was that it was better to do that than to let the ball hit me directly in the face. As soon as my finger made contact with the ball of fire, there was a loud POP and then it was gone. The room was entirely silent and there was a strong smell of sulphur in the air. It all happened in a matter of seconds, but it left me with a strong memory. Never again have I been able to rest easily during or right after a thunderstorm. Weather might be predictable most of the time, but there are still a few unexplained weather mysteries. Lightning balls are just one of these strange weather events. If you ever encounter one, at least you have been forewarned.