Rare ‘Upside-Down Red Lightning’ Caught On Camera In Puerto Rico

A rare phenomenon was caught on camera Wednesday morning by a photographer in Puerto Rico during a thunderstorm.

Known as a gigantic jet, the phenomenon is a Transient Luminous Event (TLE) and appears like “upside-down red lightning.”

To see it in person is rare, but it’s even rarer to get it on video or photograph. (RELATED: Tropical Storm Gabrielle Forms In Atlantic, Could Become Hurricane By This Weekend)

In the footage, a fast jolt of red sparked through the night sky prior to disappearing quickly.

According to NASA, gigantic jets are unexpectedly spotted, and they’re a type of electrical discharge that is powerful and extends from a thunderstorm’s top into the upper end of the atmosphere.

A version of the footage that has been slowed down shows the gigantic jet, having a base that was a purplish-pink hue, prior to bursting into red bolt-like shapes in the sky.

Good morning everyone!

Every now and then, Mother Nature puts on a light show that feels more like science fiction than real life and this week, she certainly delivered. Just a few days ago, over Cabo Rojo in Puerto Rico, the skies lit up with one of the rarest and most… pic.twitter.com/c1kD1gVEqE

— Kernow Weather Team (@KWTWeather) September 19, 2025

“Gigantic jets appear when the turbulent conditions at towering thunderstorm tops allow for lightning to escape the thunderstorm, propagating upwards toward space,” reported NASA, per FOX Weather.

Other phenomenons related are Emissions of Light and Very Low Frequency Perturbations (ELVEs), ghosts and blue jets, with all being TLEs and taking place much higher than the surface of the Earth in each the stratosphere, mesosphere and also the thermosphere.