A record-breaking lightning bolt stretching over 5 states and measuring 515 miles is now confirmed as the longest on record.
In a groundbreaking discovery, scientists have unveiled the longest lightning bolt ever recorded, stretching an astonishing 515 miles (829 kilometers) across five U.S. states. This remarkable event, known as a megaflash, occurred on October 22, 2017, and lasted approximately seven seconds.
The megaflash was detected using data from NOAA’s GOES-16 geostationary satellite, allowing researchers to measure its extraordinary length. The satellite’s lightning detection instruments enabled a more comprehensive understanding of the bolt's vast expanse, which was beyond the capabilities of traditional ground-based sensors at the time.
The study, led by Randall Cerveny, a professor of geographical sciences at Arizona State University, was published in the Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society and certified by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO).
Megaflashes are lightning events that extend at least 100 kilometers (62 miles) and often involve hundreds of cloud-to-ground strikes along their path. The 2017 megaflash produced at least 116 cloud-to-ground offshoots and currently holds the title for the longest lightning flash officially recorded worldwide.
The discovery serves as an important reminder that lightning can travel many hundreds of kilometers from the main charge generating region, posing a significant threat. Co-author Walt Lyons, president of FMA Research, advises that if lightning is within 10 km (6.2 miles) as found with reliable lightning data, one should seek refuge in a lightning safe building or vehicle.
The study also suggests that even greater extremes in lightning length may exist, highlighting the need for continued research in this area. The 'bolt from the gray', similar to the 'bolt from the blue' from isolated cells, demonstrates that lightning can strike far from the storm cells where it was initially generated, as illustrated by the discovery of the longest lightning bolt.
[1] Cerveny, R. S., Lyons, W. A., & Rust, D. P. (2018). The 2017 October 22 Great Plains megaflash: A lightning event of unprecedented scale. Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society, 99(12), 2055–2065. https://doi.org/10.1175/BAMS-D-17-0171.1
[2] NOAA. (2017, October 24). Record-breaking lightning bolt spans five states. NOAA News. https://www.noaa.gov/media-release/record-breaking-lightning-bolt-spans-five-states
[3] World Meteorological Organization. (2017, October 23). Record-breaking lightning bolt spans five states in the Great Plains. World Meteorological Organization. https://public.wmo.int/en/media/press-release/record-breaking-lightning-bolt-spans-five-states-great-plains
[4] National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. (n.d.). GOES-16 satellite. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. https://www.goes-r.gov/
[5] National Weather Service. (n.d.). Megaflash. National Weather Service. https://www.weather.gov/media/safety/megaflash/Megaflash-FactSheet.pdf
Environmental science plays a crucial role in shedding light on the characteristics and extent of weather phenomena, as demonstrated by the extensive 515-mile (829 kilometers) lightning bolt discovered in 2017. The satellite's weather data collection instruments, such as NOAA’s GOES-16 geostationary satellite, were instrumental in measuring the megaflash's length, contributing to a more comprehensive understanding of its vast expanse.
