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| Schematic shows the extent of what is now regarded as the biggest lighting flash on record, coming from a complex of storms in the southern Plains on October 22, 2017 |
Back on October, 22 2017, a lighting bolt flashed over the southern Plains. That fact isn't the least bit unusual, considering how often thunderstorms happen there.
This one, though, was recently certified as the longest lighting strike on record, It was a whopping 515 miles long, spanning from near Dallas to just east of Kansas City, Missouri.
It wasn't just a narrow line between the two points either. Branches of this bolt lit up the sky over much of southeast Oklahoma, northwest Arkansas and southwest Missouri.
The old record was for actually more recent 477.2 mile long bolt across the southern Plains on April 29, 2020.
As the Washington Post tells us:
Relatively new technology allows data from GOES 16, 17, 18 and 19 satellites hovering 22,236 miles about the ground to map the origins of each flash. These satellites can sense lightning discharges from above, even if they don't strike the ground.
Although most of this mega-strike and all other almost-as-big strikes stay aloft, some parts of them strike the ground. The data from the satellites is then merged to ground based lighting strike data from something called the Earth Networks Total Lightning Network. This particular record setter from October, 2017 produced 64 bolts (branches, really) that struck the ground.
So yeah, these mega-strikes can be dangerous.
The technology to analyze these giant lightning strikes has only existed for about a decade. Given that short time frame, researchers are sure they will find even bigger bolts than the one from October 2017.
FASCINATING LIGHTNING
Mega-flashes are fascinating, not only because they are so big.
They also last much longer than you see in standard-issue lightning bolts you see in "normal" summertime storms.
The record breaking mega-flash lasted seven seconds. Another mega-strike over Uruguay and northern Argentina on June 18, 2020 lasted 17.1 seconds.
As CNN tells us, oddly, mega-bolts tend to form in the weaker, outer parts of storms systems, and not the intense core where we'd think lighting would originate.
Fewer than 1 percent of all lightning bolts can be considered mega-flashes.
The World Meteorological Organization said this particular flash was not spotted in an original analysis of the storm, but scientist re-examined the storm and measured this 2017 mega-flash.
The WMO in its announcement brought two other lightning records to our attention. They are both, unfortunately, horrific. As the Washington Post reports:
"The WMO also referenced two other lightning records - both for fatality counts from single strikes. In 1975, 21 people in Zimbabwe were killed by a bolt as they huddled inside a hut for safety. And in 1994, 469 people were killed in Dronka, Egypt when lightning struck a set of oil tanks, sparking a fire and causing burning oil to flood the town."
Meanwhile, in the United States, lightning continues to take a toll. So far, 13 Americans have died from lightning strikes, the same number as in all of last year.
If there's a bright side, we're not on pace to be the worst lightning year in recent memory. Back in 2016, the nation saw 40 lightning deaths.
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