LUTZ, Fla. — Even during a sunny afternoon, a bolt of lightning can appear to strike out of nowhere.
A camera inside Jonathan Moore's car caught a lightning strike around 4 p.m. Monday, again, against the backdrop of a blue sky.
The tree wouldn't know what hit it.
You've probably heard the saying, time and time again: "When thunder roars, go indoors." And, yes, the saying applies even during a sunny afternoon. If you can hear thunder, you are close enough to be struck by lightning, according to the National Weather Service.
The agency says it's possible for lightning to travel at least 10 miles from its parent thunderstorm. 10 Weather chief meteorologist Bobby Deskins says, in this case, the bolt struck about 8 miles away from the main storm.
Although there were some partly cloudy skies over Lutz this afternoon, there were storms bubbling all across the Tampa Bay area during the heating of the day.
The National Weather Service reports there have been 12 lightning-related fatalities so far in 2020, with one in Florida -- the lightning capital of the country.
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