NUFORC Sighting 98195

Occurred: 2013-05-18 20:45 Local
Reported: 2013-05-28 09:38 Pacific
Duration: 2 minutes
No of observers: 2

Location: Moore, OK, USA

Shape: Formation


Eight fiery red lights hang over downtown Moore, Oklahoma, just two days before deadly tornado strikes town.

What were those lights hanging in the sky over the city of Moore just a day-and-a-half before the deadly tornado that struck the storm-weary suburb? It was on Saturday, May 18th, at approximately 8:45 p.m. when the strange lights were observed by this independent journalist.

Having spent the afternoon in Norman, a city 17 miles south of my home in Oklahoma City, my five-year old son and I were driving north along Interstate 35 as we approached the exit in Moore for SW 4th Street. As we approached it, where the interstate makes a slight jog to the west, in the sky ahead, somewhere over downtown Moore, or slightly north of it, were approximately 8 faded-red lights. There was an eerie glow about them and they appeared to hang in the sky or rise slightly. It was mostly cloudy that evening, and slightly windy.

Perplexed, and trying to determine if they were flares, Chinese lanterns or even glowing balloons, I kept looking up at them to see if I could make out what they were. Realizing that this was not a wise thing to do while driving 63-m.p.h. on a busy interstate, I kept my eye on the lights as I got off at the next exit, for NW 12th Street, just north of downtown.

Now that I was on the access road, I pulled onto Pratt Lane, which feeds into the access road just south of 12th. I pulled in front of a house and could still see a few of them. However, by the time I got my cell phone to take a couple of pictures, I could no longer see them My son, interestingly enough, was captivated by the lights as well, asking his dad what the “light ghosts” were.

Good question, son. I dialed *55 and got ahold of the dispatcher with the Oklahoma Highway Patrol. I described the lights and where I saw them and she took down the information, saying that while she had not received any reports, she would inquire with Moore Police Department. And curiously, the area where the lights were could have been – Chestnut Avenue and Main Street – is right near the Moore Police Department.

And yet, when I called the department the next day – Sunday morning – the dispatcher said they had received no reports of strange, red lights and were not sure what they were.

Researching “strange lights Moore” online, the National UFO Reporting Center had some reports made by witnesses in Moore last spring and summer. One report – almost to the day prior to my sighting – described “yellow-orange circular sighting with ascending lights above Moore, Ok.” That was on May 20, 2012. And then, on June 26, 2012, a report from Moore refers to a “fireball object in plain view.” And another report that is similar to mine was made in neighboring Oklahoma City. This report referred to “multiple silent red orbs under power over Oklahoma City, approx. 5 min. in duration.” In fact, most of the reports made by witnesses in Oklahoma tend to refer to “lights.” Because of the EF-5 tornado that blew through Moore on May 20th, we have been unable to get back to the scene in an easy fashion and recreate the scene and try and determine exactly where the lights were hovering and a possible, scientific explanation for what it was we were watching that night.

We hope to have more on this report at a later time.

Posted 2013-06-02

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