In an astonishing meteorological event, a 515-mile-long flash of lightning stretching across at least three states has been certified as the longest in recorded history by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO).
This extraordinary megaflash occurred on October 22, 2017, during an intense storm that affected much of the Great Plains, reaching from eastern Texas to near Kansas City.
To put its length in perspective, this incredible bolt of lightning would take at least eight hours to drive or 90 minutes to fly over by commercial plane.
Typically, most lightning bolts measure less than 10 miles, according to the National Weather Service, making this record-breaking event truly remarkable.
Randall Cerveny, a professor of geographical sciences at Arizona State University and a member of the WMO committee that confirmed the record, emphasized the uniqueness of megaflashes.
“It’s an incredibly strange phenomenon,” Cerveny explained, noting that this type of lightning was only discovered about a decade ago, thanks to advancements in technology that allow for precise detection of lightning events.
Although megaflashes are not entirely rare, they primarily occur under specific geographical and atmospheric conditions that lead to severe thunderstorms.
Regions like the Great Plains and parts of the Midwest see these megaflashes more frequently as warm, humid air from the Gulf of Mexico interacts violently with drier, colder air from the north, creating significant atmospheric instability.
This instability can culminate in severe storms capable of producing extreme lightning.
Not only have megaflashes been recorded in the United States, but similar phenomena have also been observed in places like Argentina and southern France, with potential occurrences in certain areas of China and Australia, according to Cerveny.
The storm responsible for the 2017 megaflash impacted a substantial stretch of the U.S., from Texas to Iowa and Missouri.
Although megaflashes can traverse multiple states, they usually occur high in the atmosphere and rarely cause damage to the ground.
Cerveny noted that these electrical discharges can occur at altitudes of 10,000 to 18,000 feet, generally in the upper to middle layers of thunderstorm clouds.
This new record, detailed in a study published by the Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society, surpasses the previous world record set just five years earlier by approximately 38 miles.
The former record was established on April 29, 2020, with a lightning bolt that spanned 477.2 miles across regions of the southern U.S.
Celeste Saulo, WMO Secretary-General, raised concerns regarding public safety related to electrified clouds that can produce such extensive lightning flashes.
She pointed out the significant impact these phenomena can have on aviation, as well as the potential to ignite wildfires.
Lethal lightning storms claim approximately 20 lives and injure hundreds annually in the U.S., underscoring the dangers these storms present.
The identification of the 2017 megaflash was possible due to the recent advancements in detection technology, allowing scientists to revisit and examine archival measurements from the time of the storm.
Cerveny highlighted that earlier studies lacked the sophisticated tools available today.
The new satellite instruments provide a level of accuracy in detecting lightning that ensures precise tracking of where and how far a lightning event travels.
Experts speculate that as satellite technology continues to improve, even longer megaflashes may be discovered in the future.
Michael Peterson, the study’s lead author and an atmospheric scientist at the Severe Storms Research Center at the Georgia Institute of Technology, discussed the prospects of further observations of extreme lightning events as data collection expands.
The WMO’s Committee on Weather and Climate Extremes maintains official records for a variety of meteorological phenomena, including temperature, rainfall, wind, hail, lightning, tornadoes, and tropical cyclones, ensuring accurate tracking of these extraordinary events.
image source from：nbcnews
