In a recently concluded analysis, a mega flash of lightning that spanned across three US states back in 2020 has been certified as the longest lightning strike on record. It was acknowledged as the record-breaking bolt by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) yesterday (February 1).
Back in April 2020, the massive lightning strike lit up the states of Texas, Louisiana and Mississippi. It was measured at an astonishing 768 kilometres in length. In comparison, the highway distance between Bengaluru in Karnataka and Hyderabad in Telangana is around 570 kilometres. While Mumbai to Hyderabad is around 710 kms.
This made the bolt nearly 60 kilometres longer than the earlier record holder, a lightning strike that hit Brazil back in October 2018 and was measured at 709 kilometres.
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Longest duration of lightning strike on record
Apart from the longest mega flashes, the lightning strikes that continue for the longest durations are also recorded. Here, a bolt over Argentina and Uruguay back in June 2020 continued for 17.1 long seconds. This lightning strike broke the record from the previous longest bolt which hit the same area back in 2019 and went on for 16.73 seconds.
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Shedding light on such extreme lightning events, Professor Randall Cerveny, rapporteur of Weather and Climate Extremes for WMO, said, “These are extraordinary records from single lightning flash events. Environmental extremes are living measurements of the power of nature, as well as scientific progress in being able to make such assessments. It is likely that even greater extremes still exist, and that we will be able to observe them as lightning detection technology improves.”
