Explosive lightning strike seemingly from nowhere nearly hits Florida football team
Usually a team's opponent is the biggest threat it will face during the course of a football game. Not in Orlando during the game between Boone High (Orlando, Fl.) and University High (Orlando, Fl.). Mother nature made sure of that.
As reported by the Orlando Sentinel, the Boone varsity squad was nearly struck by an enormous strike of lightning at halftime of the teams' face-off while the University band played nearby. If the lightning was scary it was outdone by only the thunder, which produced a clap so thunderous that it sent the University band scrambling off the field and fans scampering for safety.
The incident led to a halftime abandonment of the game, with University credited with a 14-7 victory. Given that it was played on Friday the 13th, even the Boone players were probably happier getting out of dodge than continuing to contest the game.
If everyone in attendance appeared stunned by the strike, they had a reason to be. It wasn't raining when the lightning struck. According to MaxPreps, a weather phenomenon known as a "bolt from the blue" was responsible for the strike.
There is a silver lining from the incident beyond the fact that no one was injured; the lightning strike produced one of the photos of the year, as captured from the opposite grandstand.
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