View Photos by Photographer Marc A.Hermann

Late evening thunderstorms and severe weather on the evening of Thursday, August 4, 2022, and into the overnight hours early Friday, August 5, 2022, produced lightning across the skies of the southern Manhattan, southwest Brooklyn and the northeast sections of Staten Island.  

Photos taken by Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) staff photographer Marc A. Hermann from the Shore Road Park hiking and bike path in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn captured lightning bolts which lit the skies over the Verrazzano Narrows Bridge and New York Bay.  

The NWS says the hot temperatures and high humidity across the region led to the Severe Thunderstorm Warning which was issued at 9:45pm for Staten Island, Sandy Hook, New Jersey, the Fire Island Inlet in New York, and the Harbor. 

There were no strikes reported on the Verrazzano Narrows Bridge. New York State is considered to have a “moderate” occurrence of lightning, with 3.8 strikes occurring per square mile each year, according to the National Weather Service. 

Back in March of 2021, MTA Board voted approval of a design/build contract for the installation of a safety fence on the upper and lower levels of the Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge suspended spans. The project will improve overall safety on and around the structure and will be comprised of a high-strength, stainless steel mesh capable of withstanding exposure to high winds, the marine environment, and other surrounding elements.  

History of Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge 

When it opened in 1964, the Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge was the world's longest suspension span. The ends of the bridge are at historic Fort Hamilton in Brooklyn and Fort Wadsworth in Staten Island, both of which guarded New York Harbor at the Narrows for over a century. The bridge was named after Giovanni da Verrazzano, who, in 1524, was the first European explorer to sail into New York Harbor. Its monumental 693 foot high towers are 1 5/8 inches farther apart at their tops than at their bases because the 4,260 foot distance between them made it necessary to compensate for the earth's curvature.