US: 829-Kilometer Lightning Bolt Sets New Record

The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) has confirmed a new record for the longest lightning flash ever recorded. The lightning spanned 829 kilometers and occurred on October 22, 2017, over the Great Plains region of the United States.

According to the WMO, the lightning covered a distance equivalent to that between Paris and Venice. A committee of experts certified the new record. The previous record was 768 km, also recorded in the US in 2020.

The 2017 lightning flash was recorded by the GOES-16 weather satellite of the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).

The longest-duration lightning flash occurred on June 18, 2020, between Uruguay and Argentina, lasting 17.102 seconds.

Source: AΠΕ-ΜΠΕ