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A lightning bolt that traveled an astonishing 515 miles across the skies from eastern Texas to Kansas City, Missouri, has set a new record for the longest recorded lightning strike. The bolt, which occurred during a thunderstorm in October 2017, was recently verified by a study published in the Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society. This phenomenon, known as megaflash lightning, is rare and occurs when a bolt travels more than 60 miles.
Researchers discovered this record-breaking megaflash while re-evaluating satellite data using advanced computational methods. The study's lead author, Michael Peterson, explained that megaflashes often form in the weaker, outer parts of a storm system, allowing them to travel horizontally for hundreds of miles. The 2017 megaflash followed this pattern, moving through broad cloud layers that trailed a cold front across the southern Plains.
Megaflashes are extremely rare, with fewer than 1% of thunderstorms producing them. These events are typically associated with long-lived, massive storms that cover thousands of square miles. The record-breaking bolt surpassed the previous record of 477 miles set in April 2020. However, scientists, including Randy Cerveny from Arizona State University, believe that as detection capabilities improve, more such events will be discovered.
The discovery of this megaflash highlights the potential dangers of lightning, as these powerful discharges can cause damage far from a storm’s core. Understanding these extreme events is crucial for public safety, as many lightning injuries occur because people underestimate how far a bolt can travel. As climate science continues to advance, researchers are eager to explore how lightning patterns may change and what conditions allow these megaflashes to occur.