768-kilometer lightning megaflash breaks one of two new world records

The megaflash occurred in the United States on April 29th, 2020.

The lightning flash spanned 768 kilometers (447.2 miles) across Mississippi, Louisiana, and Texas. The United Nation's World Meteorological Organization (WMO) noted that this distance is equivalent to that between New York City and Columbus, Ohio, or between London, England and Hamburg, Germany.

This flash breaks the previous world record set in southern Brazil on October 31st, 2018, by approximately 60 kilometers. Another world-record was also certified in the latest WMO statement for the longest duration flash. The flash that broke the previous record occurred over Uruguay and northern Argentina on June 18th, 2020, and lasted for 17.1 seconds, breaking the previous record by 0.37, which was also set in northern Argentina, on March 4th, 2019.

"These are extraordinary records from single lightning flash events. Environmental extremes are living measurements of the power of nature, as well as scientific progress in being able to make such assessments," said Randall Cerveny, the WMO rapporteur of weather and climate extremes, said in the WMO statement.