The world's largest single lightning bolt to date was captured by a National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) satellite, according to a Feb. 1 NOAA press release.
The image from April 29, 2020, was certified by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) as the world's longest flash to date that covered a horizontal distance of 477 miles, NOAA announced.
“This beats the previous record of 440.6 miles for a lightning strike across southern Brazil in 2018," the release stated.
The bolt extended from the central coast of Texas to southern Mississippi.
“These are extraordinary records from single lightning flash events," Professor Randall Cerveny, rapporteur of Weather and Climate Extremes for WMO said, according to a WMO press release. "Environmental extremes are living measurements of the power of nature, as well as scientific progress in being able to make such assessments. It is likely that even greater extremes still exist, and that we will be able to observe them as lightning detection technology improves.
The lightning was seen by Geostationary Lightning Mapper on NOAA's GOES-16 satellite.
“Lightning is a major hazard that claims many lives every year," WMO Secretary-General Prof. Petteri Taalas said, according to the WMO release. "The findings highlight important public lightning safety concerns for electrified clouds where flashes can travel extremely large distances.”
