A Unique Phenomenon .. Documenting the Longest Lightning Strike in America

In a rare phenomenon, scientists recorded the longest lightning strike ever documented, extending over a distance of more than 830 kilometers, from East Texas to the outskirts of Kansas City.

It is known that most lightning strikes typically extend less than 10 meters, but the lightning, known as the "megaflash," completely changed this equation. This phenomenon occurred in October 2017, but it was not officially recognized as a record until after a thorough analysis of the satellite data.


This figure is longer than the previous record set in April 2020, for a lightning strike that reached 767 km.


The British newspaper "Daily Mail" reported that the new distance is roughly equivalent to the distance between Paris and Venice.


The study relied on data from satellites belonging to the World Meteorological Organization, which has provided comprehensive monitoring of lightning at the continental level since 2017.