World's Largest Free-Flying American Flag Destroyed by Severe Thunderstorms

The largest free-flying American flag in the world was ripped apart following thunderstorms in Wisconsin Tuesday, an image of the Stars and Stripes taken after the severe weather showed.

"The iconic Acuity Insurance flag in Sheboygan ... has been torn in half," WTMJ-TV wrote on Twitter alongside a photo of the flag.

The Acuity Insurance flag is located at the company's headquarters campus along Interstate 43 between Milwaukee and Green Bay on Lake Michigan. The flag is 70 feet tall and 140 feet wide and weighed 340 pounds, according to Acuity's website.

"Each stripe is over 5 feet high and each star nearly 3 feet across," Acuity wrote.

The flagpole that displayed it is impressive in its own right, standing nearly 100 feet taller than the Statue of Liberty, and weighing 420,000 pounds. It required more than 500 gallons of paint and 680 cubic yards of concrete for its foundation.

The flag pole is designed to withstand temperatures of -42 degrees and wind speeds up to 120 mph.