A spectacular thunderstorm has been spotted over Southern California, with the pick of the pictures coming from public servants.

Santa Barbara County Fire Department's Mike Eliason took this long exposure photo at Stearns Wharf

 

The Santa Barbara fire department, highway patrol and sheriff's office all shared pictures taken during Tuesday night's thunderstorms in Santa Barbara.

According to the LA Times, the National Weather Service recorded 1,489 pulses of lightning off the coast of Santa Barbara between 20:00 and 21:00 PST (04:00 and 05:00 GMT).

These stunning snaps by Mr Eliason were taken using an exposure of between 15 and 75 seconds

 

The increased exposure allows the camera to take in more light and therefore capture multiple lightning forks in a single shot

 

 

This snap from a sheriff's deputy in the city of Goleta shows a single fork in less detail as it strikes

 

Meanwhile, Santa Barbara country highway patrol shared this shot as they advised the public to stay off the roads in the harsh weather