Dashcam footage caught the moment a bolt of lightning hit a transformer by a busy highway, causing it to explode.
The dramatic scene was caught on a police officer’s camera during a thunderstorm at around 11 a.m. Monday.
Flames from the blast brought down wires across the road and led to widespread power outages, Mount Pleasant cops said.
“A bit too much excitement for a Monday! The lightning strike caused our power outages and traffic delays. Fortunately, no one was injured, and Dominion Energy responded quickly, restoring power and removing the downed wires,” police said in a post sharing the footage on X.
Southeast Georgia and southeast South Carolina are currently experiencing hazardous weather as high temperatures drive up the chances of heavy thunderstorms, according to the National Weather Service.
The dash cam clip shows a queue of bumper-to-bumper traffic in one lane with grey skies above and heavy rain falling.
A flash of lightning is seen hitting the transformer to the left of the far lane, causing a ball of fire to shoot toward the sky.
Seconds later, electric power lines on the other side of the highway are seen igniting, with sparks falling onto the road below. Road users slow their speeds and put on their car hazards to alert other drivers of the danger. A cloud of black smoke is then seen drifting across the highway.
A dozen officers and community safety officers were called to help manage traffic at seven intersections for roughly three hours after the incident, MDPD said.
Earlier this month, South Carolina experienced nearly 30,000 lightning strikes each day, as the combination of a heat wave and 100 per cent humidity created unpredictable conditions, according to local ABC News station WPDE.
On Tuesday, the NWS said the city of Charleston was to expect temperatures topping out in the 90s, with further thunderstorms expected.
