A lightning bolt that lit up the skies of Mississippi, Louisiana, and Texas set a new world record for the longest lightning flash in the world. It extended a total of 477.2 miles (768 kilometers). The bolt was a rare instance because lightning usually just lasts under a second and extends over ten miles.
Professor Randall Cerveny, World Meteorological Organization's (WMO) rapporteur of weather and climate extremes, said that the almost 500-mile wide lightning bolt was an extraordinary record from lightning flash events. In addition, Cerveny said that more instances of greater extremes, such as this lightning bolt, will exist and be recorded in the future thanks to space-based lightning detection technology.
Image credits: Micah Tindell, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
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