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A colossal lightning bolt, stretching an astounding 515 miles across three states, has officially been declared the longest ever recorded. This “megaflash,” as scientists call it, occurred back in 2017, spanning from eastern Texas almost to Kansas City.
To put that in perspective, that’s an eight-hour drive or a 90-minute flight! The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) confirmed this record-breaking event on Thursday, noting it took place during a severe storm over the Great Plains on October 22, 2017.
Megaflashes are extremely long lightning bolts that travel vast distances. According to Randall Cerveny, a professor at Arizona State University and WMO committee member, these phenomena were only discovered about a decade ago thanks to advancements in detection technology.
These giant sparks aren’t unheard of, but they typically occur where specific geographic and atmospheric conditions brew the most intense thunderstorms. The Great Plains and Midwest are prime locations, where warm, humid Gulf air clashes with colder, drier northern air. Similar megaflashes have been observed in Argentina, southern France, and scientists believe they may also occur in parts of China and Australia.
While these megaflashes can span multiple states, they form high in the atmosphere (10,000 to 18,000 feet), posing little ground-level threat. The 2017 megaflash emerged from a massive storm system that covered a huge area from Texas up to Iowa and Missouri.
This remarkable finding was detailed in a study published Thursday in the Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society. The WMO emphasized the importance of understanding these electrical giants, as they can impact aviation and potentially trigger wildfires. As a reminder of lightning’s power, the weather service reports that lightning kills about 20 people and injures hundreds more in the U.S. annually.
This new record beats the previous one, set in 2020, by nearly 40 miles. Interestingly, the 2017 megaflash was identified by re-examining older data with improved technology.
Scientists anticipate discovering even longer megaflashes in the future as technology continues to advance. The WMO’s Committee on Weather and Climate Extremes maintains official records of global weather extremes, including temperature, rainfall, wind, hail, lightning, tornadoes, and tropical cyclones.