The X Factor - The X Factor Auditions Halted By Thunderstorms

The superstar singer was auditioning wannabes at the Greensboro Coliseum Complex in Greensboro, North Carolina alongside fellow panellists Demi Lovato, Simon Cowell and L.A. Reid when storms rolled in.

Lightning struck the production truck, knocking out power in the audition venue and forcing TV bosses to temporarily shut down filming.

The lights in the arena reportedly went out and the microphones were cut off.

A source tells Dailymail.co.uk, "Filming started again around an hour after the truck had been hit because it took while to fix things and get a back up. But they had to break again after the lightning hit something else. It crashed so loud Britney, Demi and the whole audience were screaming. Auditions resumed eventually but it took them a long time to get things running again."

The thunder was loud enough to be heard during the singing and according to Rumorfix.com, Cowell joked about the situation by telling one performer, "You're the reason the power went out."