THE LONGEST EVER LIGHTNING STRIKE

This new world record was no flash in a pan.

The World Meteorological Organisation (WMO) has announced its confirmation of the longest ever lightning strike, a gargantuan mega-bolt that stretched for more than 750km across three American states.

The flash actually occurred in April 2020, and was seen across a 768km stretch spanning Texas, Louisiana and Mississippi. This beat the previous record holder, a 2018 bolt in Brazil that stretched for 709km.

But how do you measure the length of a lightning bolt – a scientist with a measuring tape, running really fast?

Thankfully, no. The WMO was able to measure the mega-flash’s length by using Geostationary Lightning Mappers (GLMS) on board the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) latest GOES-16/17 satellites.

The WMO also found a new candidate for the longest lightning flash by duration, a 17-second continuous burst over Uruguay and northern Argentina in June 2020.