Strange lightning experience

[NimRand]

Speaking of ball lightning.

I was an Air Force Weather Observer. While stationed at Fort Benning in the late 80s, I went out one night to take an observation and saw a ball of lightning with a trailing tail traveling across the sky over in Alabama. We didn't have any thunderstorms on-station but there obviously were some in Alabama. It just continued to travel north across the sky.  I watched it probably for over a minute before I had to head back inside to get my observation out.

As a side note to answer the question that will come up. The Air Force does all the Weather Observing/Forecasting for the Army.

[Eric Krewson]

Another one; I had lightning hit a big poplar tree in the front yard, the bolt went down the tree and out the roots just below the ground level. The roots exploded and left bare dirt tracks away from the tree. The tree looked like a giant octopus standing with its tentacles spread out randomly across the ground in all directions.

[DC]

Speaking of ball lightning.

I was an Air Force Weather Observer. While stationed at Fort Benning in the late 80s, I went out one night to take an observation and saw a ball of lightning with a trailing tail traveling across the sky over in Alabama. We didn't have any thunderstorms on-station but there obviously were some in Alabama. It just continued to travel north across the sky.  I watched it probably for over a minute before I had to head back inside to get my observation out.

As a side note to answer the question that will come up. The Air Force does all the Weather Observing/Forecasting for the Army.

I wonder if what you saw was a meteorite/fireball?