This is the terrifying moment a massive lightning strike triggered an electrical transformer explosion in South Carolina.

Shocking footage shows powerful electrical charges hitting a transformer along Highway 17 in Mount Pleasant on August 11, unleashing a huge blast and widespread power outages.

The dark skies lit up with a gigantic fireball amid the busy road and intense downpour around 11 am.

The impact sent wires crashing across the roadway at the intersection of Highway 17 and Shelmore Boulevard, causing significant traffic delays. No injuries were reported.

Mount Pleasant Police said in a statement: 'The lightning strike caused our power outages and traffic delays. Fortunately, no one was injured, and Dominion Energy responded quickly, restoring power and removing the downed wires.'

More than a dozen officers and community service officers were dispatched to manage traffic at seven intersections for roughly three hours.

The National Weather Service said southeast Georgia and southeast South Carolina are currently experiencing hazardous weather, as high temperatures are increasing the likelihood of heavy thunderstorms.

Lightning forms when storm clouds accumulate electrical charges. Once the imbalance between charged areas in the cloud and the ground, or within the cloud itself, becomes too great, the built-up energy is discharged as a sudden and intense flash known as lightning.