It took 8 years to figure out, but Texas owns the record for longest lightning bolt

Everything is bigger in Texas, including lightning strikes.

Scientists with the World Meteorological Organization have finally determined that a 2017 lightning bolt beginning in North Texas broke the world record for longest lightning flash.

The “megaflash” stretched from near the Dallas-Fort Worth area to Kansas City, Mo., for a total of 515 miles. That’s roughly the same distance as going from Houston to Pensacola, Fla., or from Houston to Marfa in West Texas. The lightning strike was produced by a strong thunderstorm complex over the southern Plains on Oct. 22, 2017…

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