Lightning strikes to Chicago's skyscrapers: Sears, Hancock & Trump
Project documenting upward lightning strikes to Chicago's famous skyscrapers
ABOVE: Chicago Triple Lightning Strike The Sears Tower, Trump Tower and John Hancock Center are all struck by lightning at the same time on June 30, 2014. See more images from this event
1500FPS HD VIDEO: Four triple strikes in 1500FPS slow motion
HD VIDEO: 17 skyscraper strikes in one night
HD VIDEO: Skyscraper strikes in 2006 and 2009
FAQ: Chicago skyscraper lightning FAQ
CHICAGO, IL - Lightning routinely strikes the Sears Tower, the John Hancock building and the Trump Tower during many of the thunderstorms that pass over downtown Chicago. I've been working on an ongoing effort to document these upward lightning strikes to the skyscrapers. Since 2006, I have made more than 20 separate expeditions to the city (initially from West Virginia, later from St. Louis) to capture imagery and video. While upward lightning is common and occurs many times per year, it is very difficult to know ahead of time when a storm capable of these type of discharges will pass over the city.
My most successful Chicago expeditions were the June 30, 2014 event that resulted in a high quality still image of a triple building strike, and the August 10, 2020 event which yielded 1500 FPS slow motion video of numerous building strikes.
This web site is made possible by support from CIS Internet.
Here to help me bust this myth are Mythbusters Adam Savage and Jamie Hyneman, showing my footage of the Sears Tower getting struck by lightning twice during a July 2006 storm in Chicago. You can view the video clip at the Discovery Channel web site. |
The following are images captured during the 8-year project (click each thumbnail to enlarge). NEW: See the imagery from the June 30, 2014 event!
   
   
 
Chicago skyscraper lightning FAQ
What type of lightning hits the buildings in Chicago?
Most lightning strikes to the three major skyscrapers in Chicago - the Sears Tower, John Hancock, and Trump Tower - are the distinct 'upward moving' or 'ground-to-cloud' lightning. See this detailed article on upward lightning. Conventional (downward) cloud-to-ground lightning can and does also hit the buildings downtown. Strikes to the shorter buildings (other than the tallest three) in the city are typically of the cloud-to-ground variety. In photos, cloud-to-ground lightning will consist of downward branching, while upward lightning will either be branchless or feature upward branching.
How often do the buildings in Chicago get struck?
Lightning strikes each of the three major skyscrapers in Chicago (Sears Tower, John Hancock, Trump Tower) anywhere from 50 to 100 times per year. It is common for a single thunderstorm to produce 2 or more discharge events to the structures. Events occur a few times a year where the buildings are hit a half a dozen times or more in one storm. Rare storms have been known to produce a dozen or more building strikes! The June 30, 2014 event produced 17 upward lightning flashes to the buildings, and the August 10, 2020 event produced at least 13 building strikes.
Can lightning hit more than one building at a time?
Yes - this is a common characteristic of 'upward' lightning. Upward lightning strokes frequently initiate off of multiple tall objects (like towers and skyscrapers) at a time. The three major skyscrapers in Chicago are no different - two or three can be struck at one time. In fact, it is actually rare for a storm to not produce at least one double or triple simultaneous strike. The June 30, 2014 event produced two separate triple strike events and two double strikes. The video of the August 10, 2020 event shows several triple building strikes. Most photos and video clips showing two or three of Chicago's skyscrapers getting hit by lightning simultaneously are authentic and accurate (IE, not 'Photoshopped' or comprised of multiple images).
Are the buildings damaged by all of the lightning strikes?
No - towers and skyscrapers are designed to handle numerous lightning strikes. The current is passed harmlessly through the structure to ground. Most towers/skyscrapers have a lightning conductor 'crown' frame at the top of the spires and antennas that are built to handle direct lightning strikes. When these 'crowns' are struck by lightning, the effect is like a powerful arc welder, producing a shower of sparks and little more than a pit or two on the surface of the metal. See up-close photos of lightning striking a TV tower tip.
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