The moment lightning struck twice in the same place at the same time: Stunning images as storm breaks over Chicago



By Mail Foreign Service
Last updated at 4:34 PM on 24th June 2010

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This is the extraordinary moment a photographer captured bolts of lightning striking not one, but two Chicago landmarks at the same time.
Electricity rushed down the lightning rods atop the The Willis Tower and the Trump Tower at the exact same instant last night.
Seen through the rain from the Hancock Tower, the strikes lit up the sky around.

Bolt from the blue: Seen from the Hancock Tower, lighting strikes both the Willis Tower, right, and the Trump Tower in downtown Chicago as a severe storm rolls through the region last night
Lightning streams across the sky towards downtown last night as one bolt appears to strike the Willis Tower, left, once again




They came as severe storms rolled through the Windy City last night. There were tornado warnings as winds gusted to up to 80mph, and flooding closed some major roads.
The Department of Streets and Sanitation said 450 'tree emergencies' had been reported - but fortunately there were no injuries.
The storms grounded flights at O'Hare International Airport for nearly an hour.
The Willis Tower, formerly the Sears Tower, is the city's tallest building at 108 stories and 1,451 feet. It was built in 1973.


Enlarge Not again: Lightning appears to strike the spire of Trump Tower a second time as storms broke over the city last night




Webs of electricity streak across the sky last night. Though 450 'tree emergencies' were reported, no one was injured in the storms

It was controversially renamed in 2009 after London-based broker Willis Group Holdings leased a portion of the building and obtained the naming rights. Many locals still refer to it as the Sears Tower.

The Trump Tower, which opened in 2008, is its second tallest at 92 stories and 1,389 feet, including its spire.
In 2001, when building of the Trump Tower was first announced, it was set to be the world's tallest building - but after the September 11 attacks on the World Trade Centre in New York, those plans were scaled back.

Inside the tower are a hotel, condominiums, a parking lot, and retail space.

The towers, which were both designed by the same company, are just blocks apart. Neither sustained any major damage in the lightning strike.

 

Holyness!!!

 

i wonder how hard it was to get that picture. talk about luck

 

Not really. Cameras have long exposure, so you can have the lens open for like 10+ seconds, and the lighting has to hit within that time frame.

 

So cool, scary and beautiful at the same time.