Longest lightning flash ever recorded in East Texas

TYLER – The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) has confirmed a new world record for the longest lightning flash or “megaflash,” which struck from East Texas to Kansas City. According to our news partner KETK, he extensive 515-mile-long lightning flash struck during a severe thunderstorm complex on Oct. 22 of 2017. The flash could be seen from southeast of Dallas, near Athens and Corsicana, across Arkansas, Oklahoma, Nebraska and into Missouri, near Kansas City.

“This new record clearly demonstrates the incredible power of the natural environment,” WMO rapporteur of Weather and Climate Extremes Randall Cerveny said. “Additionally, WMO assessment of environmental extremes such as this lightning distance record testify to the significant scientific progress in observing, documenting and evaluating such events.”

According to Cerveny, it’s likely that even greater lighting extremes will be found as more measurements are collected over time. The 2017 record flash was announced on July 31, after scientists finished reexamining data collected by the Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite (GOES-16).

“Over time, as the data record continues to expand, we will be able to observe even the rarest types of extreme lightning on Earth and investigate the broad impacts of lightning on society,” Michael J. Peterson with the Severe Storms Research Center (SSRC) at the Georgia Institute of Technology said.

WMO Secretary-General Celeste Saulo said that while lightning is a natural wonder for many people all around the world, these extreme flashes are also a cause for concern.

“Lightning is a source of wonder but also a major hazard that claims many lives around the world every year and is, therefore, one of the priorities for the international Early Warnings for All initiative,” Saulo said. “These new findings highlight important public safety concerns about electrified clouds, which can produce flashes that travel extremely large distances and have a major impact on the aviation sector and can spark wildfires.”