A bolt of lightning strikes the Statue of Liberty's torch

A bolt of lightning strikes the Statue of Liberty's torch

A photo taken during storms in the Tri-state area appears to show the Statue of Liberty's torch getting zinged by a bolt of lightning.

                                                    

A photo taken during storms in the Tri-state area on April 3 appears to show the Statue of Liberty's torch getting zinged by a bolt of lightning.rumble

Lady Liberty is used to being zapped, reportedly being struck by lightning several times a year. An exact number is not known, but her height and copper coating, which conducts electricity, make her an easy target.

Since 1886, Lady Liberty has stood on Liberty Island as a sentinel for liberty and justice for all, but she hasn't always been green. When the statue was completed in 1886, the copper panels shined like a new penny. However, over the years, the copper color shifted to green as the metal oxidized.

The sculptor had no idea that the copper statue would change into its iconic greenish-blue color some 20 years later, according to Edward Berenson, a New York University history professor and author of the book The Statue of Liberty: A Transatlantic Story.

"When the air and moisture interact with the copper plating on the Statue of Liberty, a copper carbonate known as patina forms on the surface of the copper plating," AccuWeather Meteorologist Brett Rossio said. This mask of patina then protects the deeper copper layer underneath from weathering, he explained. Pennies undergo the same process.

While the designers of the statue had taken into consideration how the weather could impact the structural integrity, not all of the materials used were capable of withstanding the weather conditions in the harbor.

"You've got a choppy sea, the salt water sloshing into the Statue of Liberty, the rain is coming down, and the skeleton of the Statue of Liberty was originally made out of raw iron," Berenson told AccuWeather. "Guess what? It rusted."rumble

When the statue was renovated from 1982 to 1986, the rusted iron was replaced with steel to withstand the environment better. The torch, too damaged to repair, was also replaced.