Night Sky Lights Up Behind the Verrazzano Narrows Bridge

By Yehudit Garmaise

When lightning and thunder struck the skies of southwest Brooklyn early Friday morning, Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) photographer Marc A. Hermann captured the storm as it fell behind the Verrazzano Narrows Bridge.

While standing on the Shore Road bike path in Bay Ridge, Hermann caught on film the lightning bolts that lit up the dark skies over the New York Bay. 

Thursday night at 9:45 pm, NYC’s hot temperatures and high humidity led the National Weather Service (NWS) to issue a Severe Thunderstorm Warning for the area.

While lightning strikes create stunning sights, the shocks of light can cause severe injuries, and even death. 

To improve overall safety on the Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge, in March of 2021, MTA board approved a plan to design, build, and install a safety fence on the upper and lower levels of the bridge’s suspended spans.

Once the MTA completes the safety project, a high-strength, stainless steel mesh that can withstand exposure to high winds and other elements, will surround the bridge.

During lightning storms, residents should head indoors. 

Everyone should also stay out of water and avoid touching concrete through which metal wires and bars usually run to conduct electricity.

Once inside, to further avoid any chances of electrification, G-d forbid, residents should remain careful to avoid doing anything that can conduct electricity from the outdoors.

For instance, residents should refrain from using anything that is connected to an electrical outlet, as lightning can travel through electrical systems.

Similarly, no water should be used because electricity can travel through plumbing and electrify people.

Anyone who is caught outside in a lightning storm should descend from elevated areas, such as hills, mountain ridges, and peaks. 

Once at ground level, people should find a spot clear of trees to wait out the storm. To best protest themselves, those caught in storms should not lie flat on the ground, but rather, “Crouch down in a ball-like position with your head tucked and hands over your ears so that you are down low, but with minimal contact with the ground,” the US Centers for Disease Control said.

Photo: Flickr