477-mile lightning bolt over US set world record
The megaflash stretched across 3 states in South
A single lightning bolt that stretched nearly 500 miles — crossing three U.S. states — has been certified as the world’s longest lightning strike.
On Tuesday, the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) announced the certification of two new world records for “megaflashes of lightning” in hot spots in North and South America.
According to the WMO’s Committee on Weather and Climate Extremes, on April 29, 2020, a single flash covered a horizontal distance of 477 miles — equivalent to the distance between New York City and Columbus, Ohio — over Texas, Louisiana and Mississippi, setting a new record of “longest reported distance for a single lightning flash.”
The previous record, 440.6 miles, was recorded in Brazil in 2018.
Another 2020 record-breaking strike, at 17.1 seconds, was recorded in Uruguay and Argentina.
The previous record, 16.7 seconds, was recorded in Argentina in 2019.
“These are extraordinary records from single lightning flash events,” Professor Randall Cerveny, rapporteur of Weather and Climate Extremes for WMO, said in a statement.
“Environmental extremes are living measurements of the power of nature, as well as scientific progress in being able to make such assessments.
It is likely that even greater extremes still exist, and that we will be able to observe them as lightning detection technology improves,” he added.
Both lightning strikes took place several thousand feet above the ground, which means that no one was in danger.
But, according to WMO SecretaryGeneral Prof. Petteri Taalas, “lightning is a major hazard that claims many lives every year.”
He added that the findings are important in highlighting concerns over “electrified clouds where flashes can travel extremely large distances.”
Lightning specialist Ron Holle, a member of the WMO committee, added that “these extremely large and long-duration lightning events were not isolated, but happened during active thunderstorms. Any time there is thunder heard, it is time to reach a lightning-safe place.”
The WMO is an intergovernmental organization headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland, that originated from the International Meteorological Organization. It has a membership of 193 U.N. member states and territories.