Watch Lightning Bolt Send 300 Million Volts into a Missouri Tree

Please forgive the pun, but I have something truly shocking to show you. It's a new video that shows the moment a lightning bolt from recent storms send 300 million volts of power into a helpless Missouri tree.

ABC 7 Chicago just dropped this video short today from El Dorado Springs, Missouri. As severe storms crossed that part of the state, a man had his camera phone rolling when the sky unleashed fury on a nearby tree.

How do you know it was 300 million volts?

A valid question which is confirmed by the National Weather Service that says the average lightning bolt packs around 300 million volts of electricity. You don't want to be on the receiving end of that kind of light and heat.

If you look at NOAA Storm Prediction Center reports of incidents from that day, you'll see that hundreds of severe thunderstorm warnings were issued and numerous tornado warnings also.

I saw someone mention today that the more than 700 warned storms that impacted Missouri and surrounding states on April 2, 2025 were the most since April of 2011. Remarkable. This man in El Dorado Springs, Missouri was fortunate the lightning chose the tree in the distance from him and not...him.