We all know lightning is powerful, but what if we told you it can stretch farther than the distance between two European capitals? Scientists just confirmed the longest lightning bolt ever recorded—something straight out of a sci-fi movie.
And it happened during a storm nearly eight years ago.
Let’s break it down.
A Lightning Bolt That Spanned Half the US
Back in October 2017, during a massive thunderstorm, a lightning bolt tore across the sky, starting in eastern Texas and reaching all the way to near Kansas City. That’s a staggering 515 miles.
To put that in perspective—that’s twice the length of the Grand Canyon or about the same distance as a flight from Paris to Venice.
The bolt outdid the previous record by 38 miles and officially earned the title of the longest lightning strike in history.
Why Scientists Are So Excited About This “Megaflash”
This kind of lightning—known as a megaflash—isn’t your average zap.
Most lightning bolts are around 10 miles long.
But a megaflash? That’s anything over 60 miles, and this one blew past that benchmark.
Researchers from the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) say this isn’t just a cool record—it’s a wake-up call.
Lightning can stretch way beyond the storm cloud it came from.
That means people (and planes) might be in danger even if they’re nowhere near where the storm seems to be.
What Made This Discovery Possible
Until recently, tracking lightning this massive was pretty much impossible.
Ground-based systems just couldn’t catch the full scope.
But since 2017, satellites orbiting Earth have given scientists a brand-new way to track lightning—on a continental scale.
Michael J. Peterson, a lead researcher from Georgia Tech, said that adding continuous satellite monitoring has helped us “push the boundaries” of what we know lightning can do.
These new tools allow experts to catch even rare, extreme lightning events happening around the globe.
Not the Only Lightning Record Breaking the Internet
The 515-mile megaflash might be the longest, but it’s not the only record-holder.
In June 2020, another strike lit up the skies over Uruguay and northern Argentina—for 17.1 seconds straight.
That’s the longest-lasting single lightning flash ever recorded.
And when it comes to deadly lightning, the numbers are haunting.
In 1975, a single direct strike in Zimbabwe killed 21 people.
Even more tragic, in 1994, lightning struck oil tanks in Egypt, causing fires that killed 469 people in Dronka.
What This Means for Public Safety
Celeste Saulo, WMO’s Secretary-General, emphasized that lightning isn’t just fascinating—it’s dangerous.
It’s responsible for many deaths every year.
These extreme flashes raise major safety concerns, especially for aviation and wildfire risk.
Walt Lyons, a lightning expert, added some practical advice: If you hear thunder or see lightning, your safest bet is to take shelter in a solid building with plumbing and wiring—or inside a fully enclosed metal-roofed vehicle.
Beaches, bus stops, or golf carts won’t cut it.
So, Why Does Lightning Strike in the First Place?
Here’s the science in a nutshell: when warm air rises rapidly in storm clouds, it creates static electricity.
Different parts of the cloud carry different charges—positive in one area, negative in another.
When that charge builds up too much, boom—a lightning bolt forms.
This bolt of electricity travels through a path of ionized air, releasing huge amounts of energy as it moves from cloud to ground—or from cloud to cloud.
What’s Next in Lightning Research?
With better satellite coverage and improved data-crunching techniques, researchers believe we’ll uncover even more extreme lightning events in the coming years.
They’re just scratching the surface.
Professor Randall Cerveny from WMO says these discoveries show how far science has come in documenting weather extremes—and hints that even more powerful lightning events might still be out there, waiting to be recorded.
