The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) officially confirmed two records for the longest single lightning bolt and the longest-lasting lightning on January 31.
According to CNN, the WMO officially recognized the “megaflash” that appeared in the skies over North America on April 29, 2020, as having the longest length recorded to date. It stretched approximately 768 km from Texas to Louisiana in the United States.
Previously, the record was held by a lightning bolt that occurred in October 2018 in southern Brazil.
“A ‘megaflash’ is an exceptionally large lightning bolt. Lightning in storms typically only extends for a few kilometers. A ‘megaflash’ can be hundreds of kilometers long,” said Randall Cerveny, an expert on extreme weather phenomena at the WMO.
Despite breaking the length record, the aforementioned lightning bolt had a shorter “lifespan” compared to another “megaflash” in South America.
Record-breaking lightning bolt appeared in North America in 2020. (Photo: NOAA).
Another record recognized by the WMO on the same day was the longest-lasting lightning in the world. It occurred on October 31, 2018, during a storm in Uruguay and northern Paraguay, lasting for 17.102 seconds. This duration surpassed the previous record by 0.37 seconds, which was set on March 4, 2019, in northern Argentina.
Previously, lightning data was recorded based on ground-based information collection networks. However, this technology has many limitations.
Scientists are now using a new technology called “Geostationary Lightning Mapper,” which leverages satellite operations in orbit to collect lightning data globally. As a result, more “megaflashes” are being documented.
This new technology allows scientists to observe aspects of weather phenomena that were previously unattainable.
