Chennai rains: Lightning strike turns sky purple; watch ‘not so common’ video

Chennai rains: As heavy rains continued to pound the Tamil Nadu capital since October 14, a striking visual of lightning made its way onto social media. A video of a jolt of golden lightning that painted the sky in purple hues has gone viral on social media.
While many users expressed their fascination with nature’s powers, many were scared of lightning. Meanwhile, some users further asked which device had been used to shoot the video.
As shown in the video, it is just a matter of seconds before a streak of lightning, very similar to a thunder bolt, tears the sky into two. Captured by a resident of Shollingnallur constituency, the 6-second clip has garnered over 2 lakh views on social media platform X.
One user questioned if the video was real, and another wanted to know the precise location where the lightning struck. “Exactly which area in Sholingnallur? Any landmark?” the user asked. While some other users speculated it could have been the CG colony in Tondiarpet, the one who captured the video confirmed it was Sholingnallur.
Another added, “Well captured.” A third joined, “Wonderful click.” A fourth praised, “I haven’t seen one like this in a very long time. It’s beautifully captured.”
One more user commented that capturing lightning was not an easy task. “Not so common capture sir. Excellent work. Top job,” he posted.
Meanwhile, several other users questioned which device had been used to capture the video, to which the owner replied it was Samsung S24.
The India Meteorological Department (IMD), on October 15, predicted very heavy rainfall for the city for the next two to three days. Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin also declared a holiday for schools and colleges in several districts on Tuesday due to torrential rainfall in the state.
In addition, Chennai airport issued an advisory for its passengers amid a heavy rainfall warning, cautioning them to check the flight status.