Rare upward lightning strike spotted over Kansas during severe thunderstorm

WICHITA, Kan. - Tuesday was indeed an electrifying night in Kansas as a photographer captured an incredible upward strike of lightning amid a raging thunderstorm. 

Taylor Vonfeldt, who shot the video in slow motion on his phone, said it was the "most insane strike of lightning" he had ever caught on camera.

The bolt was a rare upward strike, where the bolt appears to begin at the ground and travels toward the cloud, as opposed to traditional lightning strikes that appear to go from cloud to ground.

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"Usually what happens when you have upward lightning is that you have a strong electric field go over the top of a tall object, like a skyscraper or radio tower, and upward leaders are initiated off the tower as a result," says meteorologist Chris Vagasky with Vaisala. "They connect with the electric field in the cloud and you get lightning."

The National Weather Service had issued a severe thunderstorm warning for the area that night, with nickel-sized hail and damaging winds in the forecast.

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