SANTA BARBARA COUNTY, Calif. — A fire department spokesman's stunning photos of lightning off the California coast are taking social media by storm.
[ According to CNN ]
, Mike Eliason of the Santa Barbara County Fire Department snapped the photos Tuesday night as thunderstorms pounded the region with more than 2,000 lightning strikes.
>> See the tweets here and here
The Los Angeles Times reported that lightning briefly knocked out power to some terminals at Los Angeles International Airport and struck a Seattle-bound plane, which was forced to return to LAX. No passengers were hurt, officials said.