Ontario Storm: Lightning vs. The CN Tower (VIDEO)

The Huffington Post Canada   First Posted: 08/25/11 10:46 AM ET Updated: 10/25/11 06:12 AM ET

If you were hiding under your sheets or taking cover in your basement you might've missed the show above the skies of the Greater Toronto Area. A massive storm brought plenty of rain and lightning.

Environment Canada also issued tornado warnings for large parts of southern Ontario, but thankfully no known twisters touched down and caused damage in populated areas.

If you lived in Toronto you might've been lucky to catch the light show, particularly the gasp-inducing sight of the CN Tower being struck by lightning repeatedly.

At more than 1,800 feet high, the tower is easily the tallest building in Toronto and is struck by lightning around 40 to 50 times a year. Last night's storm probably contributed a great deal to this year's quota.

These two videos captured the sight:

The first captures a panorama of Toronto's skyline from slightly further away. In the time-lapse you can see the tower get hit at least half-a-dozen times.

August 24 - Toronto from Dirk Teunissen on Vimeo.

The second shows a street level view of the storm with some dramatic close-ups of the CN Tower and skyscrapers lit up by lightning.

Lightning TO from Jon Simonassi on Vimeo.

If you're looking for more storm photos and videos, BlogTO has a good round-up of stormy goodness.

Correction: The piece initially referred to "lightning rumbling in the clouds" in one of the videos. The videographer indicates it is likely floodlights from nearby buildings. The piece has been corrected.
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If you were hiding under your sheets or taking cover in your basement you might've missed the show above the skies of the Greater Toronto Area. A massive storm brought plenty of rain and lightning. ...
If you were hiding under your sheets or taking cover in your basement you might've missed the show above the skies of the Greater Toronto Area. A massive storm brought plenty of rain and lightning. ...
 
 
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03:53 PM on 08/27/2011
There were mighty plenty of photos circulating the internet regarding this. In fact, the lightning was so lengthy that there were few doezen chances to get a good shot. I seized some and posted online at http://dmitrisanimation.com/img/2011_08_24_lightning-hits-toronto-cn-tower

But I also did something extra. If you scroll down a bit on the page linked above, there is a gif image that will play if you click it. It should give you a better idea on how this looked in real time from where I was standing. Enjoy.
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aries932
quote the Raven..."nevermore"
01:45 AM on 08/26/2011
Whats a Canada?
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HUFFPOST SUPER USER
Lilybelle
I read, therefore I think, therefore I am
12:50 AM on 08/26/2011
Wow! What great pictures.

We've been up at the top there several times. That glass portiion of the floor is something else. Very scary to stand near and look down on.

Thank goodness all are safe, that's most important.
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Bill Barbour
12:42 AM on 08/26/2011
What kind of metal is the spire made of that it can take that many strikes and not melt?
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Greenkid
09:45 PM on 08/25/2011
Regarding the "edit" below the second video. The clouds were flsahing like that because of lightning, NOT flood lights, trust me I could see it from Kingston!
09:29 PM on 08/25/2011
love free light shows....
This user has chosen to opt out of the Badges program
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dragnetadam12
Humanist For Humanity And Animals. Omnipotent Bein
08:40 PM on 08/25/2011
What we have here is a lightning rod of controversy. :)
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canadagirl76
A mind is like a parachute, they work best open.
07:22 PM on 08/25/2011
Thank You Mother Nature for the beautiful light show!
07:03 PM on 08/25/2011
why can't that energy be captured & stored?
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Chris Irwin
08:30 PM on 08/25/2011
One its a problem of storage. Your right--enough power there to power Canada. But how do you store it?
04:09 PM on 08/25/2011
Lightning TO -- awesome video! What a storm! What a night!
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davyjones2112
Top o' the world ma !!
04:05 PM on 08/25/2011
Canada , don't be too proud of that technological terror tower you have constructed. the ability to summon lighting is insignificant compared to the power of the force.
03:34 PM on 08/25/2011
The Tower, if you noticed was lit orange for Jack Layton. Lightening goes from sky to ground or ground to sky. Jack, I believe was just letting off a little steam and I do not have a problem with that.
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HUFFPOST COMMUNITY MODERATOR
mrsmdressup
100% snark
04:07 PM on 08/25/2011
The tower is not being lit orange until Saturday evening. And, the lights in the clouds in the first video weren't lightening, they were the spotlights from the CNE.
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Barry Clarke
Retired Air Traffic Control Aviation Meteorologist
06:17 PM on 08/25/2011
Just a little correction on your comment. Lightning travels from the ground to the cloud and thus it's called a return stroke which is the visible part of lightning. Within the visible part, there maybe as many as six or more return stokes that only look like one. You also have cloud to cloud, in cloud, and cloud to air types of lightning. Heat lightning, is a reflection of in cloud lightning in the far off distance.
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AmigaMan
Your micro-bio will never meet our guidelines.
03:00 PM on 08/25/2011
AOL/HP... I know you have some writers that, you know..., know how to spell, etc.

It's "CANADIAN BUILDING" not "CANADA BUILDING."

- Facepalm -
02:58 PM on 08/25/2011
Really liked the chiming of the first song, "Ho Na Na Nee, Naini Nainaa, Ho Na Na Nee, Naini Nainaa". I just closed my eyes, waving my hands, enjoying it.
Thanks to the gentlemen who asked the question and also to the one who answered about the origin of the song.
The second video's music was also appropriate.
Surely, two of the best lighting strike videos that I have ever seen.
02:58 PM on 08/25/2011
I'm somewhat not stunned.