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WMO Certifies 515-Mile Megaflash as Longest Lightning Strike on Record

Retrospective satellite analysis revealed that the 2017 bolt eclipsed the previous record as expanding geostationary mappers promise to uncover more extreme flashes.

Composite satellite imagery mapping of the record lightning megaflash shows its development over time. Cloud-to-ground lightning are indicated with symbols colored by polarity; blue for negative and red for positive.
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Overview

  • The WMO has officially certified a lightning flash that traveled 515 miles on October 22, 2017, as the new world record for a single continuous discharge.
  • The record bolt spanned from eastern Texas to near Kansas City, surpassing the previous 477.2-mile benchmark set in April 2020.
  • Researchers identified the megaflash only after re-examining archival data from geostationary mappers such as NOAA’s GOES-16 instrument.
  • Megaflashes exceed 60 miles and originate in massive mesoscale convective systems that occur in fewer than 1% of thunderstorms.
  • Improved satellite detection and data-processing advances are expected to reveal more of these extreme events and inform aviation and wildfire safety protocols.