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[IN PICTURES] The incredible photos of the Eiffel Tower being struck by lightning

undefined undefined 2 mai 2024 undefined 11h59

undefined undefined 2 mai 2024 undefined 16h35

The Editor

© Kulik Bertrand / Twitter

During the night of May 1st and 2nd, the capital was hit by some very intense storms. The aftermath gave us some incredible images of rushing water, extremely powerful hail storms, thunder that seemed to shake the earth, and plenty of dazzling lightning. Among all of these, the most memorable are the ones that captured the moment when the famous Iron Lady was struck by lightning.

"Tell me about the rain and not about the good weather / Good weather disgusts me and makes me grind my teeth". Well, even if we're not sure about sharing Brassens' endless enthusiasm for stormy days, we have to admit that it still allows us to experience some apocalyptic, but fascinating situations, like when Roissy airport gets flooded, or when the Eiffel Tower gets struck by lightning.


An impressive show…

As violent winds raged across the entire Ile-de-France, thousands of lightning strikes and thunder strikes were recorded on May 1st throughout the regional territory (18,589 to be exact), giving the evening a sense of the end of the world. And to intensify this feeling a bit more, what could be better than seeing the Eiffel Tower, an absolute symbol of the capital — dare we say of France? — being struck by lightning? A striking image (literally, therefore), which Parisians were quick to capture on social media. Special thanks to photographer Kulik Bertrand, specialized in this kind of shots, who treated us on his Twitter account to absolutely stunning images.

Belle nuit orageuse sur Paris avec quelques beaux impacts de foudre sur la tour Eiffel;) Cette fois j'ai même filmé(A suivre) #keraunos #MeteoFrance @Meteovilles #toureiffel #storm #love #meteoconsult #weatherchannel #lejournaldelameteo pic.twitter.com/S1bBkNKhRO


… Far from being unique

This event has caused a stir on the internet. However, it's not uncommon for the Eiffel Tower. Since its construction in 1889, the Eiffel Tower has been struck by lightning an average of 5 times a year, according to the official website. So, seeing images like the ones circulating yesterday is not as rare as you might think. With over 300 meters of iron stretching towards the sky, the Eiffel Tower basically acts like a giant lightning rod. Whether it's a unique event or just a meteorological triviality, the images are impressive, and we can't stop watching them over and over again.

Here is a little video of the impact on the tower during the storm :) #meteofrance #toureiffel #orage #villedeparis #eiffeltower #keraunos @Meteovilles pic.twitter.com/Aqmvxtxinv— Kulik Bertrand (@ptren(ard) May 1, 2024