There are many hypotheses that can be used to answer this question, but the simple answer is that we probably do not know exactly what this might have been. The sexy answer to the question is that it could be a phenomenon called "ball lghtning."

There has been a lot written about ball lightning. In Wikipedia, the following description of ball lightning appears: "Ball lightning may be an atmospheric electrical phenomenon, the physical nature of which is still controversial. The term refers to reports of luminous, usually spherical objects which vary from pea-sized to several meters in diameter. It is sometimes associated with thunderstorms, but unlike lightning flashes, which last only a fraction of a second, ball lightning reportedly lasts many seconds."

Many researchers have studied this phenomenon over the years, but even the most ardent researchers still cannot absolutely prove that it even exists. In fact, some scientists suggest that ball lightning is just the imprint left on your retina from a brilliant lightning flash nearby.

In a famous argument that ensued between two researchers several years ago, a scientist insisted he saw a ball of lightning move right down along the aisle of a commercial aircraft he was flying in as they went through a thunderstorm. Ironically, he said the only other person on board was a stewardess at the time. Seems a bit questionable that there were only two people in the passenger cabin.

In a nutshell, if the smartest researchers in the world, who have studied this phenomenon for years, can't agree on its existence, then we cannot provide a perfect answer either.

Thanks to Tom Niziol, Meteorologist-in-Charge, National Weather Service, Buffalo and Don Paul, Chief Meterologist, WIVB-TV Channel 4 for contributing to IWEC's "Ask the Expert."