A routine morning commute in South Carolina took a shocking turn when a bolt of lightning struck an electric pole, triggering a transformer explosion that sent a fireball shooting skyward — all caught on a police dashcam.
Screenshot from Mount Pleasant PD X account
Footage shared by the Mount Pleasant Police Department on X shows the moment an officer, cruising along Highway 17 during a thunderstorm, witnessed the strike just off the left side of the road, as reported by New York Post.
In a flash, a brilliant bolt hit the pole, sending a surge of electricity powerful enough to short out a nearby streetlight and cause traffic signals to blow, scattering sparks and embers onto vehicles below.
A bit too much excitement for a Monday! The lightning strike caused our power outages and traffic delays. Fortunately, no one was injured, and @DominionEnergy responded quickly, restoring power and removing the downed wires. pic.twitter.com/PyieuiTG1K
— Mount Pleasant PD (@MountPleasantPD) August 11, 2025
“A bit too much excitement for a Monday!” the department wrote alongside the video.
The strike, which occurred around 11 a.m., caused widespread power outages and traffic delays. No injuries were reported, but police had to direct traffic at several intersections for roughly three hours while crews worked to restore power.
A stormy summer for South Carolina
Severe weather has been on the rise in the Palmetto State. Between late July and early August, storms unleashed nearly 100,000 lightning strikes in just one week, according to WPDE. Two of those days recorded close to 30,000 strikes each.
Meteorologists attribute the surge to high moisture levels combined with unstable air, creating strong updrafts that drive ice formation high in the atmosphere — a recipe for intense lightning activity.
Lightning strikes making headlines nationwide
South Carolina isn’t alone in its electrifying weather. In July, New York photographer Max Guliani captured lightning striking One World Trade Center during a torrential downpour.
Positioned on a Hudson River Park pier, Guliani recorded multiple strikes on the 1,776-foot tower, including a direct hit to its antenna as sailboats rocked in the storm-tossed Hudson waters.
According to AccuWeather, One World Trade Centre was struck 189 times between 2015 and 2020. Chicago’s Willis Tower holds the record for most strikes in that period, with about 250 hits.
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