Rare Triple Lightning Strike Flashes Over Chicago During Thunderstorm

On Monday night, storms over Chicago created a triple lightning strike simultaneously illuminating the city’s skyline. The three lightning bolts struck key landmarks—the Sears Tower, the Trump Hotel, and the John Hancock Center—in a split second.

Storms Also Bring Flash Flooding and Disruption

While high above, the skies were lit up, the ground was dealing with severe weather of its own. Intense downpours—nearly 2 inches at O’Hare and over 5 inches in towns like Hammond and Whiting, Indiana—left roads flooded, public transit snarled, and schools delayed or shifted to virtual classes. In Oswego, Illinois, flooding even made its way into a high school, forcing lessons online the next day.

How Rare Are Triple Lightning Strikes?

Triple lightning strikes—especially ones captured in a single shot—are exceptionally rare. While dramatic images like this pop up occasionally, they’re more the exception than the rule. One photographer, Barry Butler, has managed to capture such events more than once, but even so, they only occur under very specific storm conditions—typically powerful, organized systems that create upward lightning discharges simultaneously striking multiple prominent objects.