A USA Today story reported here by KARE11.com notes two recent records for lightning bolts were made by the World Meteorological Organization.
In the story it states “Scientists identified all-time world records for both the longest lightning bolt — nearly 200 miles — and the world’s longest-duration lightning flash — over 7 seconds — according to a report released Thursday. Both records were certified by the World Meteorological Organization, which is in charge of documenting such things. The record-long lightning bolt was spotted over Oklahoma on June 20, 2007, and traveled 199.5 miles, about three-quarters the length of the state. That’s almost the distance from New York City to Washington, D.C. The world’s longest-lasting lightning flash lasted for 7.74 seconds on Aug 30, 2012, over Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur, France.”
This is a great reminder that lightning can travel much farther than you might think, and so if there is a thunderstorm anywhere in your vicinity you should take appropriate precautions to stay safe and alive.
