New world record
Mega flash in the USA

Bright, branching lightning flashes across a dark blue sky with a black forest line on the horizon – a typical night-time thunderstorm scene.
Symbolic image: Lightning bolts are usually only a few miles long. In rare cases, they can be hundreds of miles long. - © Aottiger/shutterstock.com

A lightning bolt measuring 515 miles (829 kilometers) in length has been recognized by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) as the longest in the world. The record-breaking lightning bolt lasted just 7.8 seconds and occurred back in 2017.

The mega flash stretched from eastern Texas northward to near Kansas City, two states away.

The record flash was discovered during analysis of data from the modern GOES-16 satellite. New satellite data now allows measurements that were not possible at the time.

Where are there thunderstorms right now?LightningRadar worldwide
James West
with material from dpa
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