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515-Mile-Long 'Megaflash' of Lightning Sets a New World Record, Spanning Eastern Texas to West-Central Missouri
- In October 2017, a massive lightning flash stretched 829 kilometers across five U.S. states from eastern Texas to Missouri, setting a new world record.
- The record lightning flash resulted from a large thunderstorm system lasting over 14 hours and covering an area the size of New Jersey, reflecting rare megaflash conditions.
- Researchers utilized data from NOAA’s GOES-16 satellite, which carries an instrument designed to continuously monitor lightning activity from geostationary orbit, enabling detailed analysis of the lightning flash’s form and duration.
- Michael Peterson reported that the lightning flash lasted 7.39 seconds and included more than 100 cloud-to-ground strikes. The World Meteorological Organization officially recognized it as the longest distance lightning flash measured, exceeding the previous 2020 record by approximately 61 kilometers.
- This event suggests that even greater lightning extremes likely exist and can be observed as satellite lightning data quality and coverage improve, aiding understanding of megaflash mechanics and safety.
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53 Articles
53 Articles
Scientists discovered a previously unknown lightning strike that was a record 515 miles long
Scientists have revealed that a lightning bolt that occurred over a swath of the southern U.S. in 2017 was the single longest lightning strike ever recorded. At 515 miles long, the flash was the equivalent distance from Boston to the…
·New Hampshire, United States
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Coverage Details
Total News Sources53
Leaning Left13Leaning Right6Center19Last UpdatedBias Distribution50% Center
Bias Distribution
- 50% of the sources are Center
50% Center
L 34%
C 50%
R 16%
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