Chicago Skyline Illuminated by Lightning After Record-Setting Storm

A Chicago-based videographer exclaimed with amazement on July 5, when a thunderstorm hitting the city provided a blinding light show with booming sound effects.

Craig Shimala told Storyful that after a very dry summer, Chicago had been “getting dumped on.”

“Too much at once has led to a lot of flooding between Sunday’s and Wednesday’s rain. [Wednesday’s] storm brought a lot of lightning to the area,” he said.

On July 2, the Chicago metro area received over 3 inches of rain, setting a rainfall record for the date and prompting local officials to take the extraordinary step of reversing the flow of the Chicago River to ease flooding in the city’s downtown, local media reported.

In the video he shared to Twitter, Shimala can be heard chuckling with excitement as loud thunder followed a blinding bolt. Credit: Craig Shimala via Storyful

Video transcript

[NO SPEECH]