This is the moment when lightning struck the Eiffel Tower during one of the biggest storms to ever hit Paris on July 27, 2013. In addition to the nearly 440-mile-long bolt (long enough to connect Boston to Washington, D.C., or Toronto to Chicago), the new analysis also revealed a new record-breaker for longest bolt duration. By Live Science is part of Future US Inc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. There was a problem. Stock image of a lightning strike. You have 4 free articles remaining this month, Sign-up to our daily newsletter for more articles like this + access to 5 extra articles. Lightning strikes are huge sparks of electricity in the atmosphere. It was one of three bolts, just seconds apart, to strike at 7am. For these reasons, South America is one of the world’s leading lightning hotspots. This is equivalent to the distance between Boston and Washington D.C., the WMO said. It's official, the United States can no longer brag about hosting the longest lightning strike ever recorded. To continue reading login or create an account. Exactly how it is created is not well understood. The lightning bolt was picked up on this satellite image Credit: WMO. By Courtney Linder. Lake Maracaibo in Venezuela is considered the lightning capital of the world, with electrical storms flashing across the sky nearly 300 nights a year, according to a 2016 NASA study. You will receive a verification email shortly. That claim now belongs to Brazil, whose southern skies were ablaze with jagged arcs of electricity back on Halloween Night, October 31, 2018, when a single 440-mile-long bolt blazed out of the spooky, supercharged … 4. (Op-Ed), Wide-eyed prehistoric shark hid its sharpest teeth in nightmare jaws, Catch the full moon (and a penumbral eclipse) on Monday. Receive mail from us on behalf of our trusted partners or sponsors? In India over 100 people have been killed by lightning strikes in the northern and eastern parts of the country, officials confirmed Thursday. See why nearly a quarter of a million subscribers begin their day with the Starting 5. Using new satellite technology, scientists confirmed that the epic bolt was more than twice as long as the previous record-holder, a 200-mile-long (320 km) bolt that blazed over Oklahoma in 2007. Brandon Specktor - Senior Writer The strike took place on October 31, 2018. The WMO, a United Nations Agency that covers weather, climate and water resources, confirmed the records using satellite imagery technology. Officials confirmed two ‘megaflash’ lightning bolts in Brazil and Argentina that struck down previous world records Lightning flashes over Sao Paulo, Brazil in 2014. A satellite view of the monstrous megaflash that zapped over Brazil on October 31, 2018. Lightning tends to strike most often in regions of high humidity (where convection causes more thunderstorms to form) and mountainous regions with high altitude. "It is likely that even greater extremes still exist, and that we will be able to observe them as lightning detection technology improves.". This space-eye view gave the researchers an edge over previous studies, which confirmed record-breaking bolts primarily with ground-based monitoring networks, the team wrote. https://www.newsweek.com/lightning-megaflash-record-brazil-1513609 That honor goes to a bolt that lit up the sky over northern Argentina for nearly 17 seconds in March 2019. According to AFP, India's National Crime Records Bureau recorded 2,300 deaths from lightning in 2018. It is known certain conditions are required for the electric charge to build up, but exactly how this happens is unclear, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association's National Severe Storms Laboratory. Stay up to date on the coronavirus outbreak by signing up to our newsletter today. The epic ‘megaflash’ was long enough to connect Chicago with Toronto. Lightning occurs when cold air and warm air collide inside thunderstorms, Live Science previously reported. On Halloween in 2018, the sky tore open above Brazil. In the study published in Geophysical Research Letters, the scientists say that space-based lightning mapping now allows them to measure flash duration and distance over broad distances. NY 10036. At 440-mile-long (709km), it was so big it could connect Chicago with Toronto. Jun 26, 2020 Hulton Archive Getty Images. ", "Environmental extremes are living measurements of what nature is capable, as well as scientific progress in being able to make such assessments," he said. While he films the lightning, a big lightning st. Use Website In a Screen-Reader Mode. His analysis revealed two record-breaking lightning flashes, the longest by length and by duration. © Some are essential to make our site work; others help us improve the user experience. For the new analysis (which will also be published in a forthcoming issue of the journal Geophysical Research Letters), WMO scientists studied several large lighting strikes recorded by four weather-monitoring satellites operated by the U.S., the European Union and China. Future US, Inc. 11 West 42nd Street, 15th Floor, Elves, Sprites & Blue Jets: Earth's Weirdest Lightning, Whodunit solved when 'sword' is found embedded in thresher shark, Megalodon nurseries reveal world’s largest shark had a soft side, Banned in 160 Nations, Why is Ractopamine in U.S. Pork? A megaflash crackles over Porto Alegre, Brazil. Thank you for signing up to Live Science. The previous record for the longest traveled lightning strike was 199.5 miles. Key site-map pages This site uses cookies to store information on your computer. A single gargantuan lightning bolt sliced through the atmosphere over the country's southern tip, stretching more than 440 miles (700 kilometers) from the Atlantic coast into the edge of Argentina. He said the information these strikes provide will help us better understand the limits of lightning.