Lightning strike temporarily shuts down Washington Monument

WASHINGTON - The Washington Monument will remain shut down on Tuesday in order to repair damage caused by a lightning strike over the weekend.

According to the National Park Service, crews are working to repair the electrical access system.

The strike on the nation’s most iconic obelisk – which occurred early Sunday morning – was recorded by Travis Nix, who posted it to Twitter.

The split-second light show arrived in the wake of a turbulent night of storms that flooded parts of the District and surrounding areas, including Alexandria.

Direct Lightning strikes on the Washington Monument are rare but it does happen.

The Washington monument has two lightning rods installed on the columns to protect the building.

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