CROISILLE-SUR-BRIANCE (LA) (87) 02.08.2013

A report received in February 2017 concerned a sighting near La Croisille-sur-Briance (87) in August 2013. On Friday 2 August at about midnight, a woman driving in a severe thunderstorm saw a large, intensely bright white ball emerge vertically downward from the clouds and slowly descend behind trees. No particular sound was heard during the approximately 10-second observation. Frightened, she continued driving. No other account was collected. GEIPAN submitted the case to a lightning specialist, who explained that this type of sighting is not uncommon: 1 or more luminous spheres may descend from a cumulonimbus base in stormy weather, resembling the slow descent of a distress flare. The expert regards this as one of the manifestations of ball lightning. Another GEIPAN case, WISSOUS (91) --.--.1960, contains a clear witness sketch illustrating a similar descent from clouds. The age of the report prevented weather verification, but the witness clearly described a thunderstorm and herself considered ball lightning without being certain. GEIPAN classifies the case A: very highly probable observation of ball lightning.