Close Menu
Mirror Brief

    Subscribe to Updates

    Get the latest creative news from FooBar about art, design and business.

    What's Hot

    Hot dog spill brings US highway to standstill

    August 2, 2025

    Tesla Found Partly Liable in 2019 Autopilot Death

    August 2, 2025

    TV tonight: Sam Clafin and Jeremy Irons star in a swashbuckling new period drama | Television & radio

    August 2, 2025
    Facebook X (Twitter) Instagram
    Mirror BriefMirror Brief
    Trending
    • Hot dog spill brings US highway to standstill
    • Tesla Found Partly Liable in 2019 Autopilot Death
    • TV tonight: Sam Clafin and Jeremy Irons star in a swashbuckling new period drama | Television & radio
    • Rockies overcome 9-0 first-inning deficit in shocking comeback victory vs. Pirates
    • Colombia's ex-president Uribe sentenced to 12 years house arrest for witness tampering
    • Labour MP Tulip Siddiq to face corruption trial in Bangladesh
    • New UK civil service internship scheme open only to working-class students | Civil service
    • Figma stock pops 5% in second day of trading after colossal debut
    Saturday, August 2
    • Home
    • Business
    • Health
    • Lifestyle
    • Politics
    • Science
    • Sports
    • World
    • Travel
    • Technology
    • Entertainment
    Mirror Brief
    Home»Science»US lightning flash was longest on record at 515 miles, scientists say | US weather
    Science

    US lightning flash was longest on record at 515 miles, scientists say | US weather

    By Emma ReynoldsJuly 31, 2025No Comments3 Mins Read
    Share Facebook Twitter Pinterest LinkedIn Tumblr Reddit Telegram Email
    US lightning flash was longest on record at 515 miles, scientists say | US weather
    Share
    Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Pinterest Email

    A 515-mile (829km) lightning flash has set a new record as the longest ever identified.

    The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) confirmed the new world record for the flash registered on 22 October 2017 over the Great Plains in the US. It stretched from east Texas to near Kansas City, Missouri, roughly the distance between Paris and Venice.

    The previous record of 768km was also recorded in the Great Plains, a hotspot for severe thunderstorms, on 29 April 2020.

    Since 2016, scientific advances in space-based mapping have allowed for lightning flashes to be measured over a broader space, allowing these long flashes to be recorded.

    This event was one of the first flashes to be documented using the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s latest model of orbital satellite, known as a geostationary operational environmental satellite.

    Michael J Peterson, the lead author and an evaluation committee member of the Severe Storms Research Center at the Georgia Institute of Technology, said: “The extremes of what lightning is capable of is difficult to study because it pushes the boundaries of what we can practically observe. Adding continuous measurements from geostationary orbit was a major advance.”

    A satellite image depicting the flash. Red circles mark positively charged branches of the lightning, and blue circles mark negatively charged branches. Photograph: World Meteorological Organization, American Meteorological Society

    Before using orbital satellites to record the duration and length of lightning flashes, data was collected by ground-based sensors. Many scientists acknowledged that there were limits to the duration and length of lightning they could record with these ground sensors.

    The advances in technology have also allowed for the recording of the greatest duration for a single lightning flash. The record is a flash that lasted 17.1 seconds during a thunderstorm over Uruguay and northern Argentina on 18 June 2020.

    skip past newsletter promotion

    The planet’s most important stories. Get all the week’s environment news – the good, the bad and the essential

    Privacy Notice: Newsletters may contain info about charities, online ads, and content funded by outside parties. For more information see our Privacy Policy. We use Google reCaptcha to protect our website and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

    after newsletter promotion

    Prof Randall Cerveny, a rapporteur of weather and climate extremes at the WMO, said: “[The] everyday implications of these events are that lightning can travel quite long distances away from the parent thunderstorm. Because of this fact, people need to limit their outdoor activities during lightning-producing thunderstorms.”

    The WMO recommends that people caught in a lightning storm take shelter in substantial buildings with wiring and plumbing, or a fully enclosed metal-topped vehicle.

    flash Lightning Longest miles record scientists weather
    Share. Facebook Twitter Pinterest LinkedIn Tumblr Email
    Previous ArticleVenice’s 500-Year-Old Secret Garden Opens to the Public for the First Time
    Next Article Proposing five win-win trades during 2025 NFL training camps
    Emma Reynolds
    • Website

    Emma Reynolds is a senior journalist at Mirror Brief, covering world affairs, politics, and cultural trends for over eight years. She is passionate about unbiased reporting and delivering in-depth stories that matter.

    Related Posts

    Science

    Lightning Strike Sets New Record for Longest Ever Measured

    August 2, 2025
    Travel

    This French City Is Just 45 Minutes From Paris—and It Has Miles of Underground Champagne Cellars

    August 2, 2025
    Sports

    2025 Wyndham Championship leaderboard: Cameron Young, Aaron Rai battling before weather suspends Round 2

    August 2, 2025
    Add A Comment
    Leave A Reply Cancel Reply

    Medium Rectangle Ad
    Top Posts

    Eric Trump opens door to political dynasty

    June 27, 20257 Views

    Fundamental flaws in the NHS psychiatric system | Mental health

    July 11, 20255 Views

    How has Ryanair changed its cabin baggage rule – and will other airlines do it too? | Ryanair

    July 5, 20254 Views
    Stay In Touch
    • Facebook
    • YouTube
    • TikTok
    • WhatsApp
    • Twitter
    • Instagram
    Latest Reviews
    Technology

    Meta Wins Blockbuster AI Copyright Case—but There’s a Catch

    Emma ReynoldsJune 25, 2025
    Business

    No phone signal on your train? There may be a fix

    Emma ReynoldsJune 25, 2025
    World

    US sanctions Mexican banks, alleging connections to cartel money laundering | Crime News

    Emma ReynoldsJune 25, 2025

    Subscribe to Updates

    Get the latest tech news from FooBar about tech, design and biz.

    Medium Rectangle Ad
    Most Popular

    Eric Trump opens door to political dynasty

    June 27, 20257 Views

    Fundamental flaws in the NHS psychiatric system | Mental health

    July 11, 20255 Views

    How has Ryanair changed its cabin baggage rule – and will other airlines do it too? | Ryanair

    July 5, 20254 Views
    Our Picks

    Hot dog spill brings US highway to standstill

    August 2, 2025

    Tesla Found Partly Liable in 2019 Autopilot Death

    August 2, 2025

    TV tonight: Sam Clafin and Jeremy Irons star in a swashbuckling new period drama | Television & radio

    August 2, 2025
    Recent Posts
    • Hot dog spill brings US highway to standstill
    • Tesla Found Partly Liable in 2019 Autopilot Death
    • TV tonight: Sam Clafin and Jeremy Irons star in a swashbuckling new period drama | Television & radio
    • Rockies overcome 9-0 first-inning deficit in shocking comeback victory vs. Pirates
    • Colombia's ex-president Uribe sentenced to 12 years house arrest for witness tampering
    Facebook X (Twitter) Instagram Pinterest
    • About Us
    • Disclaimer
    • Get In Touch
    • Privacy Policy
    • Terms and Conditions
    © 2025 Mirror Brief. All rights reserved.

    Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.