Outdoors

Shocking video of a storm chaser who got a little too close to the action

It seems like common sense to stay as far from massive storms as possible. But storm chasers can provide valuable meteorological data as well as compelling video by daring to get up-close-and-personal with inclement weather.

In storm chaser Scott Sheppard’s video, which he uploaded to his YouTube channel, he gets a little too close, and is hit by a bolt of lightning for his trouble.

While Sheppard was observing a a storm cell in Fairburn, South Dakota, lightning struck his arm, then exited through the ground, blasting a hole into the pavement.

Surprisingly, Sheppard is fine, despite a sore arm. However, the bolt disabled his vehicle along with a nearby car, and both had to be towed to a mechanic.

For all you storm enthusiasts out there, just remember that the best place to be during a storm is safely indoors.