World Meteorological Organization Confirms 829km Lightning Bolt Record in US

In October 2017, a record-breaking lightning bolt stretched approximately 829 kilometers from eastern Texas to near Kansas City, Missouri, marking the longest lightning discharge ever measured. This 'megaflash' far exceeded the previous record and was detected using advanced satellite technology like NOAA’s Geostationary Lightning Mapper, which allows for continent-wide lightning tracking. Such megaflashes, which cover more than 100 kilometers, are rare and typically occur within extensive, long-lasting thunderstorm systems known as Mesoscale Convective Systems. The World Meteorological Organization highlighted the significance of these events both for their extraordinary nature and potential hazards, including threats to aviation and wildfire risks. Similar extreme lightning events have been recorded, including the longest-lasting flash of 17.1 seconds over Uruguay and Argentina in 2020, and the deadliest single lightning strike in Zimbabwe in 1975. As satellite observations improve, scientists anticipate discovering even more extreme lightning phenomena in the future.