CNN —It’s not just the title of a 1980s Brat Pack movie: St. Elmo’s fire is the name given to bright, sudden flashes of apparent lightning that can dance across a cloudy sky when thunderstorms are nearby.
Sailors have observed this feature of storms for centuries, according to a 2020 article about St. Elmo’s fire from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s news office.
Impacts of St. Elmo’s fireThe pilots who captured St. Elmo’s fire outside their cockpit window this week likely weren’t in any danger.
St. Elmo’s fire on its own is not dangerous.
But NOAA cautions that St. Elmo’s fire could be a warning sign, as it typically indicates that storms are nearby.
Persons:
CNN — It’s, Erasmus of Formia, Elmo, “
Organizations:
CNN, Pilots, Hurricane Idalia, St, Massachusetts Institute, MIT, United States National Oceanic, Atmospheric Administration, Britannica, NOAA
Locations:
Florida, Britannica