2017 LIGHTNING STRIKE REVEALS NEW DATA

On July 31, 2025, the largest lightning strike was recorded by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO). The strike actually occurred on October 22 of 2017, but it was only recently recorded that it was longer than the previous record in 2020.

This rare phenomenon is also known as a megaflash. A megaflash is a long and powerful lightning charge, typically exceeding 100 kilometers or around 62 miles in length.

The record breaking lightning bolt was 829 kilometers (515 miles) long, spanning all the way from east Texas to Kansas City, Missouri. It took 7.4 seconds to strike. The megaflash was reanalyzed by NOAA’s GOES-16 satellite in 2025. The previous record in 2020 was 768 kilometers, or 477 miles.

Lightning is caused by the buildup of static electrical charges in clouds. When the electric field becomes too strong, an electrical current rushes to the ground, resulting in a lightning bolt.

“When the original studies were done, we didn’t have the technology that we have today,” Randall Cerveny, member of the WMO committee said. “Now we have this instrument on a weather satellite that very accurately detects lightning and can precisely pinpoint where, how far and how long a lightning flash event takes place.”

With new and improved technology, lightning can accurately be judged. This information can protect humans in areas where dangerous lightning bolts may struck. In the United States, two-thirds of all wildfires are caused by lightning.

“When the original studies were done, we didn’t have the technology that we have today,” Cerveny said. “Now we have this instrument on a weather satellite that very accurately detects lightning and can precisely pinpoint where, how far, and how long a lightning flash event takes place.”

This discovery was made possible by new technology.