Thunderstorm Franklin Park Illinois Aug 4 2008

From the front page of the Chicago Tribune Wednesday, August 6, 2008

IN A FLASH, HEAVENS ROARED

Experts confirm that Monday night's storm packed an astonishing amount of lightning.

By Robert Mitchum
and Melissa Patterson
Tribune Reporters

Over four hours, about a half-year's worth of lightning bolts bombarded the Chicago area, electrifying the night sky as trees were split, transformers were zapped and houses were set ablaze.

As work crews picked up Tuesday from the previous night's storms, meteoroligists were assessing the staggering power of a historic thunderstorm.

Nearly 90,000 thunderbolts had hit northern Illinois, according to the National Lightning Detection Network. At the storm's peak, it was firing off more than 800 bolts per minute-and that only counts those that hit the ground.

"There was no precedent for this," said WGN meteoroligist Tom Skilling. "In every way imaginable, that storm last night was in its own league."

The electrical storms raked the city and suburbs, bringing the Cubs game to a halt, sending residents into their basements and knocking out power to hundreds of thousands of customers. Remarkably, no injuries from the lightning were reported.

The awesome display originated in the unstable, Amazon-like humidity that built up Monday afternoon, filling the air with potential energy, meteoroligists said.

6 Months is the time period it ususally takes to record the number of lighting strikes that occured Monday night in the Chicago area.


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Category:

News & Politics

Tags:

• Storm
• Lightning
• Chicago
• Franklin
• Park
• Illinois
• suburbs
• Intense
• Historic
• bolts
• energy
• Thunderstorm

[elevatorgeorgie]

Whoa thats a really bad scattered thunderstorm I hope you didn't lose power. Was the thunder storm scattered? Or Isolated?

[FranklinParkIL]

@elevatorgeorgie It was Isolated but over a wide area.

[bohrokthunder]

@TspesVladD hey what up?

[frenchyrock94]

daaamn, i lived in melrose at the time. was some crazy ass shit.

[Caddl123]

The sirens do their best but they dont have any chance to come over the sounds of nature..

Its heavy,but only one siren is loud enough,the one with the deeper sound.hat kind of siren is it??

[eddy75471]

@eddy75471 sorry I think Franklin Park has 4 whelens

[eddy75471]

@TspesVladD well I heard a FS 2001 in Melrose Park in this video maybe the one on Lake and cornell or on 9th beside the Target or Winston Plaza. Melrose Park has 3 2001's. Franklin Park has 5 whelens that I seen so far

[bohrokthunder]

oh my god

[bohrokthunder]

@TspesVladD i ment three

[bohrokthunder]

@TspesVladD i have been to chicago 2 times but i havent seen any sirens but the next time i go i will look