BOISE, Idaho – Video shot on Friday shows lightning flashing across the night sky during a snow storm in Idaho.
The footage begins with a skier in an orange coat skiing down a slope in Bogus Basin ski area, as the dark sky above becomes completely illuminated by a blinding white light.
The blinding light then fades away to reveal the white, crooked line of a lightning strike piercing through the clouds.
The lightning strike and snowstorm that produced it were part of a large winter storm striking parts of the western U.S.
The Sierra Nevada mountains along California’s eastern border were blanketed with snow as a blizzard has been hammering the Golden State for days.
DANGEROUS BLIZZARD CONTINUES POUNDING CALIFORNIA WITH 10-PLUS FEET OF SNOW, 190 MPH WIND GUST
The images below show snowfall overtaking the UC Berkeley Central Sierra Snow Lab in California.
The first image features trees surrounded by a thick blanket of snow, and the next two images show how high the snow reaches on the handrail.
As of 8:45 a.m. local time, the lab said it had received nearly 40 inches of snow, with more coming by Monday.
The snowfall in the Sierras was so thick that it created hazardous driving conditions for travelers.
The shot below shows a California Highway Patrol SUV trying to navigate snowy State Route 89.
The point of view from inside vehicles driving in these conditions was particularly striking.
As seen in the dashcam image below, so much snow had fallen that it blended the divisions between the roadway and its woodland surroundings.
For those staying put and not having to be on the roads, the storm created a winter wonderland around their homes and businesses.
The snow created a headache for some, who had to clear it away.
For others, it created an opportunity to enjoy a winter activity, such as this grandfather seen pushing his grandchildren in a sled Friday.