The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) has officially recorded a new world record for the longest lightning bolt ever observed, measuring an astonishing 829 kilometers in length. This rare and extreme electrical discharge occurred in a thunderstorm-prone region of the United States.
According to the WMO Committee on Weather and Climate Extremes, the record-breaking lightning flash happened in October 2017, during a massive storm stretching across several states—from eastern Texas all the way to near Kansas City. To put the scale into perspective, it would take about 8 to 9 hours by car, or at least 90 minutes by plane, to travel the same distance.
“Lightning is both awe-inspiring and dangerous, claiming many lives each year. This event highlights just how far lightning can travel, posing significant risks to aviation and igniting wildfires,” said Celeste Saulo, Secretary-General of the WMO.
The confirmation of this record was made possible thanks to advanced satellite technology, specifically data from the GOES-16 satellite, which enabled experts to repeatedly analyze the massive storm system. This new lightning record surpasses the previous one—768 kilometers, also recorded in the U.S. on April 29, 2020—by 61 kilometers. The measurement has a margin of error of ±8 kilometers.
The lightning flash occurred over the Great Plains of North America, an area known for Mesoscale Convective Systems (MCS)—large-scale storm formations that can give rise to “megaflashes” of lightning spanning vast distances.
“This record demonstrates the power of nature and the scientific advancements in tracking weather extremes. It’s likely that even greater lightning events will be discovered in the future,” stated Randall Cerveny, WMO’s rapporteur on weather extremes.
The WMO’s World Weather & Climate Extremes Archive maintains official global records of weather extremes, including temperature, wind, rainfall, hail, lightning, tornadoes, and tropical cyclones. This new entry is a testament to both the evolving understanding of atmospheric science and the unpredictable power of the natural world.
