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Lightning Statue of Liberty

Weather

Lightning: beautiful but deadly

A fascinating but powerfully deadly force of nature, lightning is as beautiful as it is destructive.

/ 16 PHOTOS
Lightning Statue of Liberty

Lighting up Lady Liberty

PIC FROM JAY FINE / CATERS NEWS - This is the amazing moment a lightning bolt struck the iconic Statue of Liberty. The impressive moment was captured by New York photographer Jay Fine who spent the night braving the storm in Battery Park City, Manhattan, in a bid to get the perfect picture. Jay spent nearly two hours poised with his camera and took more than 80 other shots before striking lucky with this particular bolt of lightning at 8.45pm on September 22. The 58-year-old who has been waiting more than 40 years to capture the magnificent shot said he was stunned to see the photograph. To capture the shots Jay used a Nikon D300s with 60mm f/2.8 lens on the following settings: Aperture: F/10, Shutterspeed: 5 seconds, ISO: 200. SEE CATERS COPY.
— catersnews.clipservers.com
Image:

Thunder over Toronto

In this Sunday, Aug 9, 2009 photo, lightning is seen striking the CN Tower in Toronto. (AP Photo/The Canadian Press, Jim Bradford)
— Jim Bradford / CP
CHURCH AND LIGHTNING

Church strike

Neil Fraser watches as lightning hits beyond a church in Rosser, Man. early Sunday morning July 30, 1995, as a severe electrical storm made its way across southern Manitoba. Rosser is located just northwest of Winnipeg. (AP Photo/Winnipeg Free Press-Marc Gallant)
— Marc Gallant / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS
lightning

Night sky

***TWIP MEMBER PAPER *** Lightning sparks across the night sky as a heavy thunderstorm makes its way across Ocean Isle Beach, North Carolina on Tuesday night. Photo taken May 20, 2008 (AP PHOTO/The Roanoke Times, Kyle Green)
— Kyle Green / The Roanoke Times
Lighting strikes over buildings in Nanjing, in China's eastern Jiangsu province Tuesday Aug. 1, 2006. (AP Photo/EyePress) ** CHINA OUT **

Tall target

Lighting strikes over buildings in Nanjing, in China's eastern Jiangsu province Tuesday Aug. 1, 2006. (AP Photo/EyePress) ** CHINA OUT **
— EYEPRESS
Lightning strikes as seen behind a house north of Center Street NE in Cedar Rapids. A severe storm passed through the Cedar Rapids metro area Thursday night Aug. 26, 2004.

Close to home

Lightning strikes as seen behind a house north of Center Street NE in Cedar Rapids. A severe storm passed through the Cedar Rapids metro area Thursday night Aug. 26, 2004.
— Laura Segall / -1
Lighting over South Eastern Wisconsin

Lightning lighthouse

WIND POINT, WI - AUGUST 18: Lightning streaks across Wind Point Light House on Lake Michigan as severe storms hit South Eastern Wisconsin August 18, 2005 in Wind Point, Wisconsin. The National Weather Service issued tornado warnings as storms tore across central and Southern Wisconsin, reportedly killing one and injuring 5 others, knocking power lines causing outages in parts of the Southwest, including Lafayette. (Photo by Darren Hauck/Getty Images)
— Darren Hauck / Getty Images North America
Image: Chaiten volcano

Volcano voltage

Lightning bolts appear above and around the Chaiten volcano as seen from Chana, some 30 kms (19 miles) north of the volcano, as it began its first eruption in thousands of years, in southern Chile May 2, 2008. Cases of electrical storms breaking out directly above erupting volcanoes are well documented, although scientists differ on what causes them. Picture taken May 2, 2008. REUTERS/Carlos Gutierrez (CHILE)
— Stringer/chile / X01494
In this photo taken Wednesday, June 3, 2009, lightning strikes over Guangzhou International Finance Center during a rainstorm in Guangzhou, south China's Guangdong province. (AP Photo) ** CHINA OUT **

Dramatic skyline

In this photo taken Wednesday, June 3, 2009, lightning strikes over Guangzhou International Finance Center during a rainstorm in Guangzhou, south China's Guangdong province. (AP Photo) ** CHINA OUT **
— COLOR CHINA PHOTO
Drought And Climate Change Threaten Colorado River Basin

Lightning in the desert

PAGE, AZ - MARCH 24: Lightning strikes as a much-needed rain storm comes to Lake Powell which is marked by a 100-foot thick \"bathtub ring\" of bleached sandstone, the result of a six-year drought that has dramatically dropped the level of the reservoir, on March 24, 2007 near Page, Arizona. Lake Powell and the next biggest Colorado River reservoir, the nearly 100-year-old Lake Mead, are at the lowest levels ever recorded. Environmentalists have long-lamented the damming of scenic Glen Canyon, the eastern sibling of the Grand Canyon, in the early 1960's to create the 186-mile-long Lake Powell. The US Bureau of Reclamation is evaluating four proposals to manage the drought on the Colorado River which supplies water and power to millions of people in the western states. The bureau has warned that shortages are possible as early as 2010. If the water drops too far, power generators at the dams will become inoperable. (Photo by David McNew/Getty Images)
— David Mcnew / Getty Images North America
A bolt of lightning strikes near Terminal D as an American Airlines jet takes off from Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport, Monday, Sept. 11, 2006, near Dallas, before an approaching storm moves through the area. (AP Photo/The Dallas Morning News, Tom Fox) ** MANDATORY CREDIT: NO SALES, MAGS OUT, TV OUT, INTERNET: AP MEMBERS ONLY **

Electrifying take-off

A bolt of lightning strikes near Terminal D as an American Airlines jet takes off from Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport, Monday, Sept. 11, 2006, near Dallas, before an approaching storm moves through the area. (AP Photo/The Dallas Morning News, Tom Fox) ** MANDATORY CREDIT: NO SALES, MAGS OUT, TV OUT, INTERNET: AP MEMBERS ONLY **
— Tom Fox / THE DALLAS MORNING NEWS
Lightning thunderbolts

Riveting Rotterdam

epa01742418 Lightning thunderbolts light up the Rotterdam skyline early 26 May 2009 as a heavy storm raged over the Netherlands. EPA/Marco de Swart
— Marco De Swart / ANP
A lightning bolt strikes through a rainbow during a thunderstorm over Sheridan, Wyo.,  late Wednesday, June 15,2005. (AP Photo/The Sheridan Press, Ryan Brennecke)

Wyoming rainbow

A lightning bolt strikes through a rainbow during a thunderstorm over Sheridan, Wyo., late Wednesday, June 15,2005. (AP Photo/The Sheridan Press, Ryan Brennecke)
— Ryan Brennecke / THE SHERIDAN PRESS
Lightning Strikes Over London Skyline

London lightning

LONDON - AUGUST 07: Lightning flashes in the night sky over South London August 07, 2008 in London, England. The storm brought a temporary end to the hot and humid weather with light rain and a cool breeze. (Photo by Dan Kitwood/Getty Images)
— Dan Kitwood / Getty Images Europe
Lightning strikes west of the Space Needle, late Wednesday, Aug. 4, 1999, in Seattle, Wash., during a storm that rolled through the Puget Sound area. (AP Photo/Eastside Journal, Patrick Hagerty)

Space Needle lightning show

Lightning strikes west of the Space Needle, late Wednesday, Aug. 4, 1999, in Seattle, Wash., during a storm that rolled through the Puget Sound area. (AP Photo/Eastside Journal, Patrick Hagerty)
— Patrick Hagerty / EASTSIDE JOURNAL
The ancient Greek Parthenon temple, atop

Ancient scene

Athens, GREECE: The ancient Greek Parthenon temple, atop the Acropolis hill overlooking Athens, is framed by a lightning bolt during a thunderstorm that broke out in the Greek capital, late 9 October 2006. Greece has experienced stormy weather since the weekend, with two regions now placed in a state of emergency because of flood-related problems that damaged homes and disrupted transport. AFP PHOTO ARIS MESSINIS (Photo credit should read ARIS MESSINIS/AFP/Getty Images)
— Aris Messinis / AFP
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