Record-breaking Lightning Strike

⚡Last week, scientists confirmed something amazing — A record-breaking lightning strike, the longest single lightning bolt ever recorded. It stretched an incredible 515 miles from Texas to Missouri — crossing five states in just 7 seconds.

This type of lightning is called a megaflash. Instead of striking straight down, it races sideways through the clouds, sometimes for hundreds of miles. The record-setting bolt happened back in 2017, but it took NOAA’s GOES-16 satellite lightning mapper and new computer analysis to spot it.

Megaflashes happen in giant storm systems called mesoscale convective systems — the huge thunderstorm clusters often seen in the Great Plains.

Mary’s Safety Tip: If you hear thunder, head indoors — even if the storm looks far away. Lightning can travel much farther than you think!

📷 Image: NOAA via Smithsonian Magazine – “515-Mile-Long ‘Megaflash’ of Lightning Sets a New World Record” (Oct 2017)

Fast Lightning Facts:

And guess what? This “megaflash” even produced over 64 ground-striking bolts, making the sky a literal conductor of wonder.

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