Anatomy of a blackout: How's and why's of the series of events that led to the shutdown of New York's power in July 1977

On a warm evening last July 13, an intense electrical storm accompanied by heavy winds and rain moved southeast across Westchester County in the state of New York. At approximately 8:37 p.m., lightning struck the towers on a section of the right-of-way between two power transmission stations of the Consolidated Edison system, which serves the boroughs of Manhattan, Bronx, Brooklyn, Queens, and Staten Island , and most of Westchester County. Less than 20 minutes later, other towers were struck. These two lightning strokes initiated a chain of events that led to the shutdown of the electrical supply for the city of New York.