Rare lightning phenomenon captured in the sky during Hurricane Idalia evacuations

A rare weather phenomenon, in which lightning appears upside down, was captured by pilots as Hurricane Idalia approached Florida. The stunning footage of St. Elmo’s fire - a phenomenon in which luminous plasma is created in an atmospheric electric field - was filmed by pilots at MacDill Air Force Base in Tampa on Monday 28 August. A tweet confirmed that all aircraft had been evacuated from the base as Hurricane Idalia headed in their direction. It was a Category 2 storm when the footage was captured and made landfall as a Category 3. Watch more here at Independent TV https://www.independent.co.uk/tv/edit... Click here to subscribe to The Independent: https://bit.ly/Subscribe-to-Independent About The Independent: Making Change Happen. The Independent is the world’s most free-thinking newsbrand, providing global news, commentary and analysis for the independently-minded. Connect with The Independent: Check out our full video catalog:    / theindependent   Videos, daily editorial and more: http://www.theindy.com Click here to get the best of The Independent daily: https://www.independent.co.uk/newslet... Like The Independent on Facebook: https://www.fb.com/TheIndependentOnline Follow The Independent on Twitter:   / independent   Follow The Independent on Instagram:   / the.independent   Download the iOS & Android app: https://www.independent.co.uk/subscri... Help to support truly independent journalism. Every dollar you contribute will directly fund additional special reports and investigations from a free-thinking, award-winning newsroom you can trust - https://www.independent.co.uk/donations Subscribe to Independent Premium for exclusive content & live events: https://bit.ly/2MiOONB