US storm produces Earth’s longest lightning flash ever

Just days after an 8.8 magnitude earthquake, the 6th largest in recorded history, shook Russia, another powerful natural phenomenon in the U.S. has captured global attention.

Scientists have recorded the longest lightning bolt in history stretching over more than 515 miles (829 km) in a notorious storm hotspot in the United States of America (USA) from eastern Texas to near Kansas city.

The mega thunderbolt was 38 miles longer than the previous record of 477 miles produced around the central Gulf Coast.

According to the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), the megaflash occurred during a major thunderstorm complex in October 2017.

To put it into perspective, the length of a thunderbolt was equivalent to the distance between Paris and Venice and a flight would take around 90 minutes to cover the distance.

Celeste Saulo, WMO Secretary-General, said, “Lightning is a source of wonder but also a major hazard that claims many lives around the world every year and it is therefore one of the priorities for the international Early Warnings for All initiative.”

“These new findings highlight important public safety concerns about electrified clouds which can produce flashes that travel extremely large distances and have a major impact on the aviation sector and it can also spark wildfire,” she added.

The new record flash was identified through a re-analysis of satellite data from the October 2017 storm. There’s a 5 mile margin of error in the new record of the longest flash in history.

Professor Randall Cerveny, rapporteur of Weather and Climate Extremes at WMO, said, “This new record clearly demonstrates the incredible power of the natural environment.”

He said, “This discovery by WMO also testifies to the significant scientific progress in observing, documenting and evaluating extreme environmental events.”