Caught on cam: Rare weather phenomenon ‘St. Elmo’s Fire’ seen in Florida as Hurricane Idalia touches down
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The state of Florida was met with all sorts of weather conditions as Hurricane Idalia touched down, one of which was an extremely rare phenomenon known as St. Elmo’s Fire.
Video captured from U.S. Air Force pilots evacuating aircraft from the state showed the dazzling lightning display forming on and around the plane.
The MacDill Air Force Base confirmed on X, formerly known as Twitter, that “All aircraft on the installation have been evacuated/secured in preparation for Hurricane Idalia.”
During the evacuation, MacDill AFB said “the 50th ARS recorded St. Elmo’s fire, a weather phenomenon in which luminous plasma is created in an atmospheric electric field.”
WHAT IS ST. ELMO’S FIRE?
St. Elmo’s fire is a weather phenomenon that occurs when the atmosphere becomes charged and an electrical discharge of plasma is created between an object and the air around it.
The name is derived from the patron saint of sailors known as St. Erasmus of Formia. The remarkable event was once hailed by sailors to be a good omen while also serving as a warning that lightning was near.
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