Overview
- The WMO officially recognized a 829-kilometer-long lightning flash that occurred in October 2017 between eastern Texas and near Kansas City.
- Satellite measurements confirmed the discharge lasted 7.8 seconds with a ±8 kilometer margin of error matching previous record assessments.
- The WMO Committee for Weather Extremes validated the event through post-event geostationary satellite analysis.
- High-resolution satellite technology has enabled detection of rare megablitz events that were previously undetectable.
- The WMO is advocating continued satellite monitoring to discover potential larger lightning extremes and guide safety measures.