Incredible Slo-Mo Video Shows Lightning Exploding Over Illinois

Lightning is the one thing you should never try to photograph outside even if you know what you're doing. That being said, there is an incredible slow-motion video that was just shared of a lightning show exploding over Illinois recently.

Weather Watcher on YouTube described their video saying it was captured on March 19, 2025 near a cornfield in Plainfield, Illinois. It was a heightened warning day and the storms did not disappoint. Lightning was everywhere.

This video was captured during a storm chase where they experienced 1 1/2 inch hail. Their cell phone time-lapse video spans 30 minutes where the skies turned from day to night and the lightning exploded above them.

How powerful is lightning?

The National Weather Service says that an average lightning bolt has 300 million volts of power. You definitely don't want to be on the receiving end of that kind of energy. Even if you're miles away from the storm, lightning can travel great distances and end your existence quickly. That's why capturing photos and/or video of storms like this is tricky and dangerous.

As of the date of this writing, their YouTube channel only has a couple hundred subscribers. With video shares like this one, might be worth a like and subscribe if you enjoy spectacular Illinois weather storm moments like this one.