THIS is the heart-stopping moment when a lightning bolt hits just meters behind an unaware six-year-old girl.

The massive bolt struck trees in Southern California, prompting a stunned mom and her two kids to quickly seek shelter.

Tiffanie Buckner was capturing footage of the oncoming storm before bringing her children indoors on Tuesday.

In the shocking video, Penelope, 6, is seen nonchalantly standing in front of the camera.

Suddenly, a massive lightning bolt strikes trees in the yard of the house across the street.

Penelope, her mum and brother let out an instant scream.

The startled children can be seen sprinting towards their mom.

Buckner told Storyful: “It was different than the normal lightning we receive that just lights up the sky.”

She explained that she had wanted to show her mother and husband the weather.

But what started off as innocent weather-watching, soon took a sinister turn.

“The sound was so loud and immediate that it made us all jump and sent the kids in running,” Buckner said.

Though shaken at first, Penelope apparently quickly forgot the scare and even asked to go back outside once the rain began.

Her mom said: “Of course, the answer was no.

“But kids were OK and loved the storm and have an amazing story to tell.”

Penelope told local news station NBC 4: “It was amazing, but it scared me a little bit.”

The strike hit a tree in the yard of the family’s neighbor Keith Fulthorp.

“It was loud, shook the house. Like an earthquake,” he told NBC 4.

His daughter Alena said: “We just felt like the whole house shaking.”

Both trees struck caught fire, but luckily the rain quickly put it out, Fulthorp said.

One tree was split down the middle, while the other suffered serious damage, he added.

Thunderstorms are rare in Southern California, with fewer than 10 days a year seeing reported lightning.

The violent weather phenomena are more common in England, especially during summer months, with lightning reported on dozens of days each year.

Just last month, a house in Chichester, England caught fire after a lightning strike during sweeping thunderstorms across the country.

Shocking photos show smoke streaming from the roof of the property.

Six fire engines were called to the scene, according to West Sussex Fire and Rescue Service.