A dramatic storm video from rural Oregon is drawing attention after lightning appeared to shoot upward from the ground beside a row of wind turbines.
Shared by Fox Weather and ABC 7 Chicago, the footage, captured near Rufus by Garret Hartung, shows a powerful storm line moving across the area under dark skies. As the clouds flash, branching bolts seem to rise from the ground near several tall wind turbines rather than fall from the sky, creating an image that resembles glowing trees.
Hartung recorded the moment from the roadside. Fox Weather cited the National Weather Service, which said Pendleton County saw 3,728 ground lightning strikes during the event, suggesting the atmosphere was highly charged.
Insane video shows upward lightning at a wind farm in Oregon. pic.twitter.com/CJSAjQ7Or0
— ABC 7 Chicago (@ABC7Chicago) June 2, 2026
Meteorologists said the phenomenon is known as upward lightning. The Royal Meteorological Society has said it most often happens near positive cloud-to-ground flashes, while the NWS explained that "upward discharges almost always occur from towers, tall buildings, or mountain tops," according to Fox Weather.
In the right electrical conditions, tall structures can appear to launch lightning into the sky.
Lightning remains one of the most dangerous parts of severe storms, especially in wide-open rural areas where people may be traveling, working outdoors, or living near exposed infrastructure. The tall wind turbines in the footage fit those explanations.
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The NWS said these discharges are thought to happen when there is "a rapid change in the charges aloft," per Fox Weather, likely triggered by a recent lightning strike. That sudden shift in the electric field can cause a tall, pointed object — such as a wind turbine or tower — to generate an upward bolt.
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