Columbus news stations ABC 6 (WSYX) and FOX 28 went off-air the night of July 28 due to a “direct lightning strike” on the station, according to social media posts.
ABC 6 Chief Meteorologist Marshall McPeek said in a Facebook post at 10:38 p.m. Monday that lightning struck the station and that its 11 p.m. news broadcast wouldn’t be “in their usual spots.”
“You may have noticed that FOX 28 Columbus News at 10 and WSYX ABC 6 News at 11 p.m. aren’t in their usual spots,” McPeek wrote in his post. “That’s because our station took a direct lightning strike this evening. Our amazing engineers are working as quickly as possible to get us back on the air.”
The station itself made a Facebook post at 10:38 p.m. Monday, saying it was kicked off the air due to “weather-related issues.”
ABC 6 and FOX 28 were both back on the air as of 8:55 a.m. July 29. ABC 6 could not be reached for comment at the time of publication.
Columbus experienced less than an inch of rain on July 28 as a system of thunderstorms pushed through the region. The storms were part of a series of storms that began during the weekend, dropping heavy rain across parts of central Ohio,resulting in flash flooding in some parts of the area.
There are more thunderstorms in the forecast for July 30, with a 20% chance of storms after 2 p.m., and the chance for storms increasing as the afternoon turns into night. The chance for storms will continue through July 31, with the National Weather Service in Wilmington saying clear skies should move into the area by the weekend.
This story is ongoing and will be updated.
Breaking and trending news reporter Nathan Hart can be reached at NHart@dispatch.com and at @NathanRHart on X and at nathanhart.dispatch.com on Bluesky.
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Lightning strike knocks Columbus stations ABC 6, FOX 28 off the air during thunderstorms
Reporting by Nathan Hart, Columbus Dispatch / The Columbus Dispatch
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