Port St. Lucie / lake Okeechobee Strange Blue Light - what did I just see?

I'd really love to know if anyone else saw this tonight (Saturday the 15th at around 11:00 to 11:05 PM EST)...

I'm driving up the Florida Turnpike towards Orlando and had to stop at a service plaza to check to see if there was an answer to what I just saw on Google, Youtube or here.

Anyway, I had just left the Port Saint Lucie service plaza, northbound on the Ronald Reagan Turnpike and was about 10 minutes out in the dark, wilderness stretch that bends west and north several times. I believe I was at a point where Lake Okeechobee would have been about 15 or 20 miles to my Southwest. I can't say for sure about the direction I was traveling, so either North or Northwest.

At any rate, at around 11:03 or so, I realized the sky to my left (west or southwest) was illuminated a bright bluish hue. At first I acknowledged it was there in my peripheral vision, but did not look directly at it thinking it was a factory or home's light in the distance. When I finally did turn my whole head, it was THE WHOLE SKY.

I've seen my share of lightning that makes clouds a bluish or blue-green color and I've seen my share of spotlights for marketing gimicks, as well as fireworks. This was not any of these things.

Lightning would reverberate and fade, replaced by a new flash in a separate part of the cloud. This went on for a solid 1/2 minute, enough for me to almost be unsafe about my driving - keeping my eyes glued on it.

A spotlight would not illuminate the entirety of the cloud, it would move around (hence "spot").

Fireworks are even less likely.

The only thing I can compare it to is how South Florida, on a cloudy night, gets an orange/yellow etherial glow from the lights of Miami and Fort Lauderdale.

However, again, this was basically the middle of nowhere in Central Florida and the light eventually went away.

Again, I can't say how long it was from when I first noticed it to when I looked directly at it, but once I looked directly at it, it took my breath away. I've never seen a section of the night sky lit up so vividly in a bluish color like that.

Also, I should mention it was cloudy out and so when I say it illuminated a "cloud" we're not talking just one cloud on a clear night, we're talking a whole wall of clouds over the lake area.

I'm at a loss, I really cannot rationalize what it was. It was so powerful, I fail to see how it could have been privately produced for some person's farm or lakeside properties quick illumination, and for what purpose.

One more thing to mention, at one point it was as though something got between the source of the light and the cloud. The cloud did not seem back-lit,, but rather something was shining onto it, and at one point it was as though someone walked in front of the light or something got in front of it, but otherwise it was solid and continuous.

**Interestingly (and a bit scary), just a few minutes later, still cocking my head back to my left-rear every few seconds to see if anything was there, I suddenly realized two deer were approaching the side of the road up ahead. In all the years - decades really - traveling this turnpike, that is the FIRST time I've seen deer. I'm not trying to imply it's somehow related, just very intriguing coincidence.

Look up 'noctilucent clouds' ; there's recently been a theory advanced that the universe, and our solar system in particular, is far more electrical then we have realized; the noctilucent clouds may be evidence of charging of the upper levels of the atmosphere or possibly water vapor put off by the sun and coming at us (another newer theory).

See the blogger 'suspicious0bserver' for a lot of information about this.

science.nasa.gov...

reply to post by signalfire


Noctilucent clouds are new to me, but after visiting your link I did a google image search and did not see a similarity in any of the images to what I saw. The differences are that the noctilucent clouds, viewed from the ground are all "veiny" and they are too high up. These where rain clouds in the low atmosphere maybe, at most,10 miles from me, looking up at an angle of maybe 10 to 20 degrees.

I appreciate the suggestion and will keep an eye out for these noctilucent clouds, but I don't see them explaining what I saw. I can't believe no one in the Port Saint Lucie area or driving north or southbound on the turnpike or even I-95 at that time wouldn't have found it distracting and mesmerizing. I'm gonna look around for posts or videos and report back...kick myself for not digging out the camera quickly.

reply to post by Sphota


To add, google maps shows a power plant on the northeast shore of the lake, near where I was looking...

...BUT, why/what purpose would creating practically daylight serve them? Are they swimming in energy and just felt like blowing a little on some midnight sun?

So, as life goes on, I let it go. But now I just saw the following post:

Originally posted by HattoriHanzo
All of the sudden non forecasted storm in maryland with high winds and a " Supposed generator " * looks like something else to me * blew and now over 60,000 homes are without power in maryland i live here .


Huge Light flash that lasts

edit on 21-12-2012 by HattoriHanzo because: (no reason given)

From this thread about real observations from today.

Now, the YouTube video is from Maryland, so far from where I was. However the way the sky was illuminated was practically identical.

The only difference is the strong glow right by the ground, but, as it appears these people has a stationary high ground vantage point and I was driving on flat ground with trees between me and the horizon, this may have also happened where I was, I just couldn't see that part.

The way the sky was bathed in blue light so thoroughly....that is spot on.

Meant to include that the amount of time was the same as well, and that this one seemed to include blue, but also purple and orange. I was struck by the vivid blue, but I do recall an orange hue as it was about to stop. Huh, that's crazy, glad someone taped it.