MEAWW.COM / NEWS / HUMAN INTEREST

Hurricane Henri: Lightning strikes One World Trade Center in viral videos

Hurricane Henri is expected to turn to the north at a slower forward speed as it moves over southern New England

As the outer bands of Hurricane Henri, a Category 1 hurricane with 75 mph max sustained winds, have reportedly started to reach the southern New England coast and Long Island, a video has gone viral showing something spectacular. Lightning struck the One World Trade Center as Henri made its way towards New York on August 21. This video was reportedly taken by Joshua Edmonson and it shows lightning striking the iconic Manhattan skyscraper. 

But that’s not the only such video out there right now. One Twitter user shared a video, saying, “Lightning striking One World Trade before #HurricaneHenri makes landfall.” The video was retweeted more than 1,600 times. Another Twitter user shared a beautiful video of the Manhattan skyline from across the water. “Lightning bolts hitting @OneWTC #nyc Here comes #HurricaneHenri Henri,” he wrote. This video was shared more than 400 times. He also shared spectacular stills of this phenomenon. 

READ MORE

Hurricane Bob looms as New England braces for Hurricane Henri, first one in 30 years

Henry or 'On-ri': Internet divided over the RIGHT way to pronounce Hurricane Henri

New Jersey resident Ros Espinosa Quinto too shared a still of the spectacular incident, writing, “WTC tower takes the hit from Henri tonight.” A Twitter user called Wade Lambert shared a video saying, “Looking out the bedroom window… lightning at One World Trade Center tonight.”

As per reports, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) says if you find yourself caught outdoors during a lightning storm, breaking off from your group is advised. "This will reduce the number of injuries if lightning strikes the ground," it says. 

Hurricane warnings are in effect for Long Island, Connecticut, and Rhode Island. Flash flood warnings have been ongoing as heavy rain has moved through, with around 4.5 inches of rain falling in Central Park and six inches falling in Brooklyn. 

As per the National Hurricane Center, after landfall is made, Henri is expected to turn to the north at a slower forward speed as it moves over southern New England. As per the NHC, the center of the storm was located about 120 miles south of Providence, Rhode Island, and approximately 80 miles south-southeast of Montauk, New York.

New York Governor Andrew Cuomo declared a state of emergency for the Bronx, Kings, Nassau, New York, Queens, Richmond, Suffolk, and more. He also requested President Joe Biden to declare a pre-landfall emergency declaration. This federal declaration authorizes the Federal Emergency Management Agency to provide emergency protective measures, including direct federal assistance to New Yorkers, in the aftermath of Henri and its impacts. Hurricane Henri, according to a report, could cost a billion in destruction.

"New Yorkers are no strangers to the damage that is possible after dealing with a hurricane - we experienced it with Superstorm Sandy and Henri is set to be that level of storm," Cuomo said. "We were given less notice to prepare for Henri because of shifting models, and while there is still time for the storm to shift again, I encourage New Yorkers to take this seriously. Plan for power outages, stock up on necessary supplies, and avoid flooding areas. The state is deploying resources and we will do everything we can to ensure damage is minimal and the people of this state stay safe."