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'Megaflash' Lightning Bolt Traveled over 500 Miles, Setting a New Record
JACKSON COUNTY, MISSOURI, AUG 1 – The 2017 megaflash stretched 515 miles and lasted over 7 seconds, setting a new horizontal distance record, according to the World Meteorological Organization.
- On October 22, 2017, a lightning flash set a world record by traveling approximately 515 miles, beginning in East Texas and extending close to Kansas City, Missouri.
- This megaflash happened during a large thunderstorm complex, and its confirmation took years of satellite data analysis led by Michael Peterson at Georgia Tech.
- The flash lasted approximately 7.8 seconds, made over 100 ground strikes, and such megaflashes are rare occurrences seen in less than 1% of thunderstorms.
- The World Meteorological Organization officially certified the record in July 2025, noting that greater lightning extremes likely exist and new records will continue to be found.
- Experts stress the importance of remaining indoors after storms as megaflashes often occur after storms calm, highlighting ongoing public safety concerns revealed by advanced satellite technology.
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29 Articles
29 Articles
Lightning ‘megaflash’ spanning 515 miles sets new world record, forecasters say
A flash of lightning spanning multiple southern states in 2017 has been named the longest ‘megaflash’ of lightning in the world, according to the World Meteorological Organization (WMO).
·Harrisburg, United States
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'Megaflash': Longest lightning flash ever recorded struck from East Texas to Kansas City
TYLER, Texas (KETK) - The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) has confirmed a new world record for the longest lightning flash or "megaflash," which struck from East Texas to Kansas City. Where and when are lightning deaths most common in the U.S.? The extensive 515-mile-long lightning flash struck during a severe thunderstorm complex on Oct. 22 of 2017. The flash could be seen from southeast of Dallas, near Athens and Corsicana, acros…
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Total News Sources29
Leaning Left2Leaning Right1Center22Last UpdatedBias Distribution88% Center
Bias Distribution
- 88% of the sources are Center
88% Center
C 88%
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