The Empire State Building Struck By Lightning: NYC Weather Today In July Lights Up 2016 Manhattan Night [Video/Photo]


The Empire State Building played host to something on Monday which we usually only see in horror and science fiction shows. Lightning struck the landmark, and one lucky person happened to record it. The video likely brings to mind scenes such as the moment Frankenstein’s monster came to life, or the moment when lightning struck the building in the Back to the Future films.

The lucky videographer was Henrik Moltke, who uploaded the video to YouTube, which by now has exceeded 50 thousand views. The building is usually struck by lightning around 23 times a year, but it the event is rarely caught on camera. Being such a tall structure, especially after 2001’s tragedy with the World Trade Center, the Empire State Building is a major target, a lightning rod literally crowning it.


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The lightning striking the Empire State Building was one of the visual highlights of an otherwise nasty day for commuters in New York City. Unusual heat reaching into the 90s (Fahrenheit) early on Monday gave way to severe thunderstorms in the area, and flash flood warnings.

This marks the first major flooding possibility this year for the East Coast, though it’s unknown if the waters will cause enough general damage to rival similar events in Las Vegas and Arizona this year. Desert states aren’t as ready for water touching down, with road drainage often sending debris into sewer drains and runoff channels, backing them up and causing a problem not easily solved. Monsoon seasons can hit hard enough to actually turn major streets into flowing rivers.

The storms have even reached as far as Hoboken, New Jersey, with the water level making road travel risky for anyone whose vehicle isn’t high enough off the ground.

The storm in New York City has knocked down trees and crippled travel, especially for the Long Island Rail Road system. Weather-related signal problems caused issues with Penn Station, the Atlantic Terminal, and Jamaica. Rain leaked into the subways and in some cases into the trains themselves, making for a very wet journey for those brave enough to take that route. The Port Washington and West Hempstead branches are still a no-go for travel as damage from the storm accompanying the Empire State Building lightning strike has yet to be cleaned up.

The storm could have been a lot worse as well, since New York played host to a devastating severe weather system in 2012. Hurricane Sandy tore through the Big Apple and nearly became the biggest disaster the state has seen. Several charities contributed to helping the victims of Hurricane Sandy make it through the difficult time the weather brought upon them.

The thunderstorm which struck the Empire State Building with lightning might not be over yet, but transportation authorities are working hard to get the LIRR system up and running at full capacity once more.

It may be a good idea for citizens of the area to simply stay indoors today until the severe storm passes New York and its surrounding states. We can thank YouTube host Henrik Moltke’s Empire State Building video for giving us something positive to take from it though.

[Image via TTstudio/Shutterstock.com]

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