NUFORC Sighting 70989

Occurred: 1981-10-31 18:00 Local
Reported: 2009-07-08 19:18 Pacific
Duration: 10 minutes
No of observers: 5

Location: Weed, CA, USA

Shape: Disk
Characteristics: Electrical or magnetic effects

10/31/1981 Saucer Shaped UFO hovering between the moutain Mt. Shasta and the city of Mt. Shasta California

I grew up in Weed, California, Siskiyou County, and heard numerous stories of UFO sightings and in particular, stories from my mother regarding "St. Elmo’s Fire." The sightings of St Elmo’s Fire were always located several miles south of Weed in an area that bordered the then Kellogg Ranch. Located west of I-5. My mother described St. Elmo’s fire to be as large as a car, hovering approximately 5 feet off the ground. The color was always a brilliant emerald green mixed with red/yellow flames. She stated that the only way you knew St. Elmo’s Fire was coming was because the air surrounding you would become charged with electricity causing the hair on your body and your head to stand up.

My story begins early evening October 31, 1981. Fall was settling in and when I was growing up, November 1st always brought snow; thus, there was a coolness to the air with the smell of wood smoke. I was newly dating someone who lived in Mt. Shasta, California and I was headed to a dinner party that friends of his were having. Just as I approached the Kellogg Ranch area headed south on Interstate 5, (which at this date of 1981 had a McDonald’s and a hotel located on the east side of the highway) I felt the crackle of electricity in the air with it being stronger to my right, which would be due west. I was slightly confused due to this new sensation and as I scanned left to right I saw a huge ball of emerald green fire shooting from the west headed due east about 2/10’s of a mile in front of me. The ball of fire was as large as a sedan and approximately 5 feet off the ground; just as my mother use to describe it in her stories. As I visually followed St. Elmo’s Fire from right to left, the mountain, Mt. Shasta was in my line of vision to the east. To my utter amazement, there was a saucer shaped UFO hovering on the side of Mt. Shasta closest to me. It was huge, sliver in color and slightly dipped downward on the left side of the UFO. The UFO was located toward the base in the area we call the "timberline." As I traveled south toward Mt. Shasta, I was able to keep it in my line of vision for approximately 15 minutes and then it shot straight up in the air and disappeared. The light during this entire sighting was bright enough for me to not misinterpret what I was seeing. I had hoped that the UFO would remain where it was as the house I was headed for would have had a front and center view of a life time.

The house where the dinner party was being given was located almost at the base of Mt. Shasta on the Everett Memorial Highway. The house is located on the west side of the highway and Mt. Shasta High School is still located across the road from this house. Upon entering the house everyone was excited and asked me if I had seen anything strange on my way to their home. Because I didn’t want them to think that I was strange, I told them to tell me what they saw. They stated that they felt a charge of electricity and when they looked out the picture window that faces Mt. Shasta, they saw a UFO and described it exactly the way I saw it. None of us saw lights that were lit up on the UFO-could be due to the fact that it was still light outside that none were needed. I then told them about seeing St. Elmo’s Fire and then the UFO. My friends apprised me that, though they had never seen St. Elmo’s Fire, they had heard stories of sightings in the same area where I saw it.

The four individuals that saw the UFO besides me were approximately 8 to 15 years older than me as I had just turned 21 that April. Two of the individuals were school teachers and the other two were business owners.

This was not the first time I had seen a UFO while living in Weed, California, and the other sightings were also witnessed by my siblings and friends and on one occasion, we even called law enforcement, who did respond, but found ways to discount what we were seeing and what they were seeing.

Posted 2009-08-05