The moment a pilot captured St Elmo's Fire from his cockpit
A video filmed by pilots at MacDill Air Force Base in Tampa, Florida, captured a lightning-like weather phenomenon called St. Elmo's fire. According to the Wall Street Journal, the base was evacuating as Hurricane Idalia headed toward the state. The video was recorded on August 28.
The Air Base said on X, formerly Twitter, "During the evacuation, the 50th ARS recorded St. Elmo's fire, a weather phenomenon in which luminous plasma is created in an atmospheric electric field."
See the video here:
Hurricane Idalia is forecast to be an "extremely dangerous" Category 4 storm when it makes landfall early on Wednesday (US time), according to the updated advisory from the National Hurricane Center.
The agency said that Idalia is expected to inundate parts of Florida's Big Bend region with a "catastrophic" storm surge between 12 to 16 feet - higher than an average city bus. "There is the potential for destructive, life-threatening winds where the core of Idalia moves onshore in the Big Bend region," the hurricane centre said.
In its advisory, the National Hurricane Centre said, "Catastrophic impacts from storm surge inundation of 12 to 16 feet above ground level and destructive waves are expected somewhere between the Wakulla/Jefferson County line and Yankeetown, Florida. Life-threatening storm surge inundation is likely elsewhere along portions of the Florida Gulf Coast where a Storm Surge Warning is in effect. Residents in these areas should follow any advice given by local officials."
"There is the potential for destructive life-threatening winds where the core of Idalia moves onshore in the Big Bend region of Florida, with hurricane conditions expected elsewhere in portions of the Hurricane Warning area along the Florida Gulf Coast. Strong winds will also spread inland across portions of northern Florida and southern Georgia near the track of the centre of Idalia where Hurricane Warnings are in effect. Residents in these areas should be prepared for long-duration power outages. Damaging hurricane-force winds are possible in portions of eastern Georgia and southeastern South Carolina where Hurricane Watches are in effect," it added.
The Center also stated that flash, urban, and moderate river flooding, with locally considerable impacts, are expected across the Florida Big Bend, central Georgia and South Carolina, through eastern North Carolina into Thursday.