Go Back
  • For Business
  • |
  • Warnings
  • Data Suite
  • Newsletters
  • Advertising
  • Superior Accuracy™
A week after deadly Texas flooding, hope fades but resilience grows. Chevron right
Recovery teams, displaced residents in Texas face brutal heat. Chevron right

Columbus, OH

69°F
Location Chevron down
Location News Videos
Use Current Location
Recent

Columbus

Ohio

69°
No results found.
Try searching for a city, zip code or point of interest.
settings
Columbus, OH Weather
Today WinterCast Local {stormName} Tracker Hourly Daily Radar MinuteCast Monthly Air Quality Health & Activities

Around the Globe

Hurricane Tracker

Severe Weather

Radar & Maps

News

News & Features

Astronomy

Business

Climate

Health

Recreation

Sports

Travel

For Business

Warnings

Data Suite

Newsletters

Advertising

Superior Accuracy™

Video

Winter Center

AccuWeather Early Hurricane Center Top Stories Trending Today Astronomy Heat Climate Health Recreation In Memoriam Case Studies Blogs & Webinars

Weather Blogs / WeatherMatrix

War of the Worlds: MCS Drops 38,000 Lightning Strikes in PA

By Jesse Ferrell, AccuWeather meteorologist and senior weather editor

Published Jun 29, 2012 4:31 PM EDT | Updated Jun 29, 2012 4:19 PM EDT

Copied

It has been a while (maybe a couple of years) since we've had an overnight Mesoscale Convective System (MCS) come through the state of Pennsylvania. The one that dropped 38,800 lightning strikes to the ground across the state last night reminded me how different MCS are than regular thunderstorms. Here are just a few of the lightning strikes I got on film, in slow motion (view HQ on YouTube):

http://c.brightcove.com/services/viewer/federated_f9?isVid=1

These complexes increase in severity at night and are marked with very frequent lightning. I remember in 2005 a few days after watching "War of the Worlds" in the theater, an MCS passed over Central PA and I found the lightning unworldly -- not unlike the "lightning" that brought the aliens to earth in the movie. I was reminded of this last night. The storm moved through around 3 AM and the lightning and thunder were both almost constant. We usually don't get that around here.

590x406_06292104_ltg629as

Despite the success of grabbing the lightning strikes depicted above in the video (I also separated them out into photos), I actually missed the bulk of the lightning strikes, because they were to my north. Needless to say, the storms caused chaos across the state, downing trees and power lines, as noted in the Facebook Group Pennsylvania Storm Chasers, where we are talking about another MCS or two on tap for this weekend.

590x470_06292109_lsr629a

One member of the group got this photo of a tree on fire near his house, presumably from a lightning strike:

590x331_06292113_241799_197783730348352_1139777587_o

Wind damage was widespread in Southeastern Pennsylvania including Hershey.

Report a Typo

Weather News

Weather News

A week after deadly Texas flooding, hope fades but resilience grows

Jul. 10, 2025
Severe Weather

Rounds of severe storms to rattle, drench central US

Jul. 11, 2025
video

Abandoned cars submerged by severe flooding in North Carolina

Jul. 10, 2025
video

Before-and-after pictures show devastation caused by Texas floods

Jul. 9, 2025
Severe Weather

Severe weather to rumble in the central US through the holiday weekend

Jul. 6, 2025
Weather News

Record sargassum seaweed piles up on Caribbean islands, Gulf

Jul. 2, 2025
Weather News

Alabama teen in ICU after lightning strike hits boat, causing burns an...

Jul. 2, 2025
Show more Show less Chevron down

Topics

AccuWeather Early

Hurricane Center

Top Stories

Trending Today

Astronomy

Heat

Climate

Health

Recreation

In Memoriam

Case Studies

Blogs & Webinars

ABOUT THIS BLOG
WeatherMatrix
Jesse Ferrell
AccuWeather Meteorologist and Social Media Manager Jesse Ferrell covers extreme weather and the intersection of meteorology and social media.
  • Astronomy
    with Dave Samuhel
  • Canadian weather
    with Brett Anderson
  • Global climate change
    with Brett Anderson
  • Global weather
    with Jason Nicholls
  • Northeast US weather
    with Elliot Abrams
  • Plume Labs on Air Quality
    with Tyler Knowlton
  • RealImpact of weather
    with Dr. Joel N. Myers
  • WeatherMatrix
    with Jesse Ferrell
  • Western US weather
    with Brian Thompson

Featured Stories

Health

How can families handle new anxieties around summer camp?

16 hours ago

AccuWeather Ready

Floodwater rising in your house? Do this

2 days ago

Weather News

Orcas are bringing humans gifts of food – but why?

15 hours ago

Weather News

Earthquake swarm detected at Mount Rainier, biggest since 2009

20 hours ago

Weather News

The US has a plan to breed millions of flies and drop them from planes

16 hours ago

AccuWeather Weather Blogs War of the Worlds: MCS Drops 38,000 Lightning Strikes in PA
Company
Proven Superior Accuracy About AccuWeather Digital Advertising Careers Press Contact Us
Products & Services
For Business For Partners For Advertising AccuWeather APIs AccuWeather Connect RealFeel® and RealFeel Shade™ Personal Weather Stations
Apps & Downloads
iPhone App Android App See all Apps & Downloads
Subscription Services
AccuWeather Premium AccuWeather Professional
More
AccuWeather Ready Business Health Hurricane Leisure and Recreation Severe Weather Space and Astronomy Sports Travel Weather News Winter Center
Company
Proven Superior Accuracy About AccuWeather Digital Advertising Careers Press Contact Us
Products & Services
For Business For Partners For Advertising AccuWeather APIs AccuWeather Connect RealFeel® and RealFeel Shade™ Personal Weather Stations
Apps & Downloads
iPhone App Android App See all Apps & Downloads
Subscription Services
AccuWeather Premium AccuWeather Professional
More
AccuWeather Ready Business Health Hurricane Leisure and Recreation Severe Weather Space and Astronomy Sports Travel Weather News Winter Center
© 2025 AccuWeather, Inc. "AccuWeather" and sun design are registered trademarks of AccuWeather, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Terms of Use | Privacy Policy | Cookie Policy | About Your Privacy Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information

...

...

...