Watch the moment lightning strikes
The lightning show was the result of a severe thunderstorm that swept through the US capital on Saturday night. At one point, lightning struck the top of the World Trade Center, and several people nearby were able to catch it on video.
However impressive the visuals are, the scenario is really not exceptional. At 381 metres, the One World Trade Center in New York City is the tallest building in the United States. According to data company Vaisala, lightning struck the building about 189 times between 2015 and 2020.
USA Mayday
The New York thunderstorm comes as tornadoes and violent storms ravage several parts of the country, which have already killed at least 26 people this weekend. The storm hit a group of states from Lake Michigan in the north to the Gulf of Mexico in the south, causing significant damage. Hundreds of thousands of people without electricity.
The deaths occurred in Arkansas, Alabama, Mississippi, Tennessee, Illinois and Indiana. In Illinois, for example, a storm destroyed, among other things, the roof of an entire concert hall. One person was killed and 28 injured. The city of Wayne, Arkansas, was virtually wiped off the map. Four people were killed, according to US media. Most of the deaths, seven, occurred in the southwest Tennessee, McNairy County area.
A week ago in Mississippi, 26 people were killed by a tornado that raged for more than an hour over a nearly 60-kilometer sector. That’s a very long time for a hurricane. President Joe Biden visited that state on Friday to offer his condolences.
