Spectacular photos of storm ‘red sprites’ in France

‘Red sprite’ lights, a natural phenomena which is difficult to photograph as extremely short-lived, have been seen - and captured on film - in skies over Nice and Lake Geneva during the recent storms across the country.

The lights, called farfadets in French, are very short-lived and appear similar to red fireworks in the night sky.

Environment and weather photographer Christophe Suarez captured the spectacle, which was seen in Rhône-Alpes, Bourgogne-Franche-Comté, and Grand-Est on the night of August 13-14. He posted some of his shots on X (Twitter).

They happen when there is an intense, very rapid electrical ‘discharge’ between 30-70 km above a particularly violent cumulonimbus cloud. 

“The atmosphere around the storm must be clear,” Mr Suarez told Nice-Matin. “It doesn't even last a millisecond, which makes it almost imperceptible. I've only seen it twice with the naked eye.”

Other ‘red sprites’ were seen near the French town of Evian, on the banks of Lake Geneva (lac Léman in French) . Photographer Marc Favre, who was leaving work in the small hours of the morning, wrote on the Info Climat website: “I caught the first ones without realising it.

“A little later I spotted (with my naked eye!) one of these sprites above the clouds! I quickly checked my [camera] shots.” 

He then changed his ‘framing’, and was able to keep taking photos until just after 04:00, when cloud cover obscured visibility.

“This is only the third time I've managed to photograph this phenomenon,” he said. “But it's the first time I've seen such imposing and relatively well-defined examples! It's particularly satisfying to have seen them with the naked eye too.”

Read also: VIDEO: Tornado in northern France and 'red sprites' above Nice 

Mr Suarez also captured red sprites in photos in May this year, also above the skies in Nice.