‘Like a bomb went off.’ Strong superbolt lightning shakes city, OK residents say

A rare and powerful form of lightning struck Tulsa, Oklahoma, during a storm and was felt by residents across much of the city, leaving some wondering what they just experienced.

The “superbolt” was 228,000 amps and struck southeast Tulsa at 10:10 p.m. Sunday, May 25, according to the Weather.us lightning tracker, which categorized the bolt as a “wild house shaker.”

An average lightning bolt is about 30,000 amps, according to the National Weather Service.

Superbolts are also unique because, unlike most lightning, they carry a positive charge, the Tulsa World reported.

“Did something explode? Probably the loudest thunder I’ve heard in my life,” a Reddit user said in a Tulsa thread.

Another user said they felt their home shake for more than 30 seconds after thunder clapped in the wake of the superbolt.

“I honestly couldn’t tell if it was an earthquake or just thunder lol,” said another.

Some Tulsans questioned local weather experts for answers.

“Any info on the supposed ‘super bolt’ that struck around 10:10pm last night near the Promenade? Looked and sounded like a bomb went off,” a Facebook user asked Fox 23 meteorologist James Aydelott.

“Yeaaaaah. There were two or three. Loud, and forever thunder,” Aydelott replied.

The lightning tracker on Weather.us shows there were multiple strong bolts around the same time near the Tulsa area, but they were still much weaker than the 228,000-amp bolt.

Experts don’t fully understand how or why superbolts are so powerful, according to NASA, and the most potent strikes are 1,000 times brighter than typical lightning. The vast majority of superbolts occur over water, only occasionally striking on land.

This story was originally published May 26, 2025 at 2:51 PM with the headline "‘Like a bomb went off.’ Strong superbolt lightning shakes city, OK residents say."