829km lightning megaflash sets new world record
A new world record for the longest distance lightning flash was declared on Thursday — a megaflash that stretched for 829 kilometres (515 miles) across the United States.
The huge flash occurred on October 22, 2017, from eastern Texas to near Kansas City, the World Meteorological Organization said.
Overlooked megaflash
The United Nations' WMO weather agency said the megaflash underlined the epic power of lightning — and how flashes can pose dangers far from the original storm.
The previous record, also observed in the United States, happened on April 29, 2020 between Mississippi and Texas, with a lightning flash of 768 kilometres. It was certified as a record in 2022.
Both the previous and new records have a margin of error of plus or minus eight kilometres.
The 2017 storm produced several huge flashes. Three were analysed and were enough to formulate a ground-breaking definition of megaflash lightning.
Going back and re-examining the data from the landmark storm led to the discovery of a hitherto overlooked megaflash that was bigger than the one in 2020.
'Bolt from the blue'
'Lightning can travel quite long distances away from the parent thunderstorm,' Randall Cerveny, the WMO's rapporteur for weather and climate extremes, told AFP.
'That is why some people talk of a 'bolt from the blue' — a lightning flash that seemingly comes out of the clear sky.'
Cerveny, a professor of geographical sciences at Arizona State University, established the WMO's World Weather and Climate Extremes Archive in 2007.
It logs global records for temperature, pressure, rainfall, hail, aridity, wind, lightning and weather-related mortality.
ALSO READ: WATCH: First-ever Birkin bag sold for over R178 million
New record certified
An 11-member committee of experts based in the United States, Brazil, Germany, Spain, Nepal, Israel certified the new record.
Satellite-based lightning mapping has only been up and running since 2016 — too short a time frame to determine patterns or trends in intensity, location or frequency.
'Give us another decade or so of data and we can start to address that,' Cerveny told AFP.
Michael J. Peterson, of the Severe Storms Research Center in the United States, said that over time as the data record expands, 'we will be able to observe even the rarest types of extreme lightning on Earth, and investigate the broad impacts of lightning on society.'
Deadly source of wonder
The WMO said the new findings highlighted the dangers posed by lightning storms.
The agency is pushing for everyone on the planet to be fully covered by advanced early warning systems for hazardous weather events by the end of 2027 — lightning included.
'Lightning is a source of wonder but also a major hazard that claims many lives around the world every year,' said WMO chief Celeste Saulo.
Other lightning records
The WMO's three other lightning records are:
— Longest duration lightning flash: 17.102 seconds (margin of error 0.002 seconds) during a thunderstorm over Uruguay and northern Argentina on June 18, 2020.
— Highest mortality: 469 people killed indirectly in Dronka, Egypt, when lightning struck a set of oil tanks, causing burning oil to flood the town in 1994.
— Highest mortality (single strike): 21 people killed by a direct strike of lightning as they huddled for safety in a hut in Zimbabwe in 1975.
NOW READ: OPINION: Mulder will never be a legend if he feels guilty breaking records
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
eNCA
a day ago
- eNCA
Flash flood washes out India Himalayan town, killing four
A flash flood driving a torrent of mud smashed into a town in India's Himalayan region on Tuesday, tearing down a mountain valley before demolishing buildings and killing at least four people. Videos broadcast on Indian media showed a terrifying surge of muddy water sweeping away multi-storey apartment blocks in the tourist region of Dharali in Uttarakhand state. Several people could be seen running before being engulfed by the dark waves of debris that uprooted entire buildings. Uttarakhand State Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami said rescue teams had been deployed "on a war footing". Senior local official Prashant Arya said four people had been killed, with other officials warning that the number could rise. India's army said 150 troops had reached the town, helping rescue around 20 people who had survived the wall of freezing sludge. "A massive mudslide struck Dharali... triggering a sudden flow of debris and water through the settlement," the army said. Images released by the army, taken from the site after the main torrent had passed, showed a river of slow-moving mud. A wide swathe of the town was swamped by deep debris. In places, the mud lapped at the rooftops of houses. "Search and rescue efforts are ongoing, with all available resources being deployed to locate and evacuate any remaining stranded persons," army spokesman Suneel Bartwal said. Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed his condolences in a statement, and said that "no stone is being left unturned in providing assistance". Chief Minister Dhami said the flood was caused by a sudden and intense "cloudburst", calling the destruction "extremely sad and distressing". The India Meteorological Department issued a red alert warning for the area, saying it had recorded "extremely heavy" rainfall of around 21 centimetres isolated parts of Uttarakhand. Deadly floods and landslides are common during the monsoon season from June to September, but experts say climate change, coupled with urbanisation, is increasing their frequency and severity. The UN's World Meteorological Organization said last year that increasingly intense floods and droughts are a "distress signal" of what is to come as climate change makes the planet's water cycle ever more unpredictable.
eNCA
a day ago
- eNCA
Japan sets record temperature of 41.8C
Japan logged a new heat record on Tuesday, with the mercury hitting 41.8C, the weather office said, warning temperatures may rise further still. Temperatures the world over have soared in recent years as climate change creates ever more erratic weather patterns, and Japan is no exception. The scorching temperature in the city of Isesaki on Tuesday surpassed the previous record in the Hyogo region of 41.2C, which was set only last week. Tokyo has also been struggling with extreme heat. "I'm really concerned about global warming, but when it comes to my daily life, I can't live without turning on the air conditioner," office worker Mayomi Saito told AFP. "I don't really know what I should be doing. I'm just desperately getting through each day." Last month, 38,608 people were treated in hospital for heatstroke, data showed Tuesday, down from 43,195 in July 2024. Last week there were 18 deaths. In tourist hotspot Kyoto last week the mercury hit 40C, the first time any of its observation points -- the oldest opened in 1880, the newest in 2002 -- had seen such a high, authorities said. Experts warn Japan's beloved cherry trees are blooming earlier due to the warmer climate -- or sometimes not fully blossoming -- because autumns and winters are not cold enough to trigger flowering. AFP | Kazuhiro NOGI The famous snowcap of Mount Fuji was absent for the longest recorded period last year, not appearing until early November, compared with the average of early October. July was also the hottest since records began in 1898, the weather agency said Friday, with the average monthly temperature 2.89C above the 1991-2020 average. Japan's summer last year was the joint hottest on record, equalling 2023, and was followed by the warmest autumn since records began 126 years ago. - South Korea, Vietnam sizzle - Blistering heatwaves have also hit other parts of Asia this summer, from South Korea to Vietnam, as well as Europe. South Korea saw its second-hottest July, with an average temperature of 27.1C, according the meteorological office, which has been collecting such data since 1973. AFP | Nhac NGUYEN The hottest July on record in South Korea was in 1994, when the average temperature reached 27.7 degrees Celsius. In northern Vietnam, 17 places across seven provinces reported record highs for the month of August, with electricity demand spiking as people try to stay cool, authorities said Tuesday. The capital Hanoi experienced its first-ever August day above 40C on Monday. In Japan, some dams and paddies nationwide are experiencing a water shortage, with farmers complaining that the sizzling heat combined with a lack of rain is slowing rice cultivation. Precipitation in July was low over wide areas of Japan, with northern regions facing the Sea of Japan experiencing record low rainfall, it added. The rainy season ended about three weeks earlier than usual in western regions of Japan, another record. Every summer, Japanese officials urge the public to seek shelter in air-conditioned rooms to avoid heatstroke. The elderly in Japan -- which has the world's second-oldest population after Monaco -- are particularly at risk. This year, western Europe saw its hottest June on record, as extreme temperatures blasted the region in punishing back-to-back heatwaves, according to the EU climate monitor Copernicus. Dangerous weather stretched into the next month, with separate research estimating that climate change made the temperature up to 4C hotter, pushing the thermometer into deadly territory for thousands of vulnerable people and greatly worsening the projected death toll. Firefighters also battled blazes across Turkey, Bulgaria, Greece and Portugal in July following a deadly heatwave. Millions were exposed to high heat stress as daily average temperatures in western Europe climbed to levels rarely seen before -- and never so early in the summer. By Tomohiro Osaki
The Citizen
2 days ago
- The Citizen
Flash flood washes out India Himalayan town, killing four
At least four people are dead after a sudden mudslide triggered by heavy rain tore through a tourist town in India's Himalayas. A flash flood driving a torrent of mud smashed into a town in India's Himalayan region on Tuesday, tearing down a mountain valley before demolishing buildings and killing at least four people. Videos broadcast on Indian media showed a terrifying surge of muddy water sweeping away multi-storey apartment blocks in the tourist region of Dharali in Uttarakhand state. Several people could be seen running before being engulfed by the dark waves of debris that uprooted entire buildings. Uttarakhand State Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami said rescue teams had been deployed 'on a war footing'. Senior local official Prashant Arya said four people had been killed, with other officials warning that the number could rise. ALSO READ: US, India launch powerful Earth-monitoring satellite India's army said 150 troops had reached the town, helping rescue around 20 people who had survived the wall of freezing sludge. 'A massive mudslide struck Dharali… triggering a sudden flow of debris and water through the settlement,' the army said. Images released by the army, taken from the site after the main torrent had passed, showed a river of slow-moving mud. A wide swathe of the town was swamped by deep debris. In places, the mud lapped at the rooftops of houses. 'Search and rescue efforts are ongoing, with all available resources being deployed to locate and evacuate any remaining stranded persons,' army spokesman Suneel Bartwal said. ALSO READ: India overtakes China in smartphone exports to the United States Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed his condolences in a statement, and said that 'no stone is being left unturned in providing assistance'. Chief Minister Dhami said the flood was caused by a sudden and intense 'cloudburst', calling the destruction 'extremely sad and distressing'. The India Meteorological Department issued a red alert warning for the area, saying it had recorded 'extremely heavy' rainfall of around 21 centimetres (eight inches) in isolated parts of Uttarakhand. Deadly floods and landslides are common during the monsoon season from June to September, but experts say climate change, coupled with urbanisation, is increasing their frequency and severity. The UN's World Meteorological Organization said last year that increasingly intense floods and droughts are a 'distress signal' of what is to come as climate change makes the planet's water cycle ever more unpredictable. NOW READ: Indian killed, another kidnapped in suspected Niger terror attack – By: © Agence France-Presse
