WATCH: Giant smoke ring seen floating over South Bay
Staff Report
Santa Clara, Calif. – The freak weather plaguing California took a strange twist in the wind this week, as a mysterious circle of black smoke wafted over Santa Clara.
Shocked residents captured it on video as heavy thunderstorms bombarded the Bay Area.
Such a rare phenomenon usually takes place over active volcanoes, which can eject grey or white vortexes of steam and gas, sometimes as wide as 600 feet in diameter.
The cause of this black smoke circle remains unknown. However, it was associated with a powerful lightning strike that erupted moments before.
One theory is that the bolt ignited a fire that released the smoke. Another is that the jolt detonated a nearby telephone pole transformer, setting off the circular puff.
Others wondered whether the freak event was a dark omen of some kind.
One eyewitness, Rochelle Fernandes, who took the best video of the ring when it first arose, likened it to “the crown of Satan.”
(See her explanation and links in the comments below.)
Perhaps more troubling for San Francisco football fans, it wafted over Levi Stadium, home of the seemingly doomed 49s.
For goodness sake people https://youtu.be/UJI5uQzThdQ
One heckuva bong being smoked here, I suppose, in Santa Clara..
Looks like a UFO to me!!!
Just flies in a mating circle that have drifted southwest from the poop infested streets of San Fran.
A mating circle? San Francisco?
No, it’s Arnold Schwarzenegger smoking one of his giant cigars and blowing a smoke ring!
This is the video that shows the beginning and right before this happened as I was in my front yard contemplating the lightning
https://youtu.be/BPbf155LLdY
It’s NOT a mystery. I saw what happened at 7:50am at the Levi Stadium electric substation and made the first video on my iPhone and put it on my YouTube channel
https://youtu.be/UJI5uQzThdQ