Shazam! Two world-record lightning events recognised
(2022/02/01)
- Reference: 1643702290
- News link: https://www.theregister.co.uk/2022/02/01/world_meteorological_organization_lightning_records/
- Source link:
The World Meteorological Organization, the United Nations' weather watching agency, has [1]certified two new world records for lightning.
The organisation measures two qualities of lightning: duration of a flash, and distance for a single flash.
In 2016 the outfit [2]awarded world records to a flash that blasted across France for 7.74 seconds in 2012, and a bolt that traversed 321km in the skies above Oklahoma in 2007.
[3]
A review of lightning records saw both eclipsed with the 2020 [4]certification of new records recorded in South America.
[5]
[6]
The longest duration flash record went to an event that lasted 16.73 seconds over northern Argentina on 4 March 2019. The long-distance flash record fell to a 709km event above Brazil in 2018.
Today the Organization announced new records.
[7]
Uruguay and northern Argentina teamed on a 17.102 second flash in June 2020, to take the long duration crown. The USA took back its long-distance title with a 768km flash recorded in April 2020. Neither event touched the ground, instead discharging their responsibilities in the atmosphere.
[8]
The record flashes tracked by the WMO.
Click to enlarge
The WMO made no mention of the new records being linked to Earth's changing climate. Instead the new records are the result of using space-based observations, rather than the previous ground-based methods. By looking down from above, lightning boffins see more events than was possible with terrestrial observations.
Helping matters further is that some satellites carry dedicated lightning-spotting kit.
The record events were observed in locations known to be very prone to lightning - which it turns out does strike the same place twice.
[9]Did you look up? New Year's Day boom over Pittsburgh was exploding meteor, says NASA
[10]Earth to Voyager 2: Standby for connection – after we tip this water out of the dish
[11]Midwest tornado destroys Amazon warehouse, killing six after worker 'told not to leave'
[12]Trick or treat? Massive solar storm could light up American skies this Halloween
The Organization also collects rather grim stats about lightning. For instance the deadliest bolt known, which killed 21 people who sought shelter from the storm in a Zimbabwean hut in 1975. And in 1994, 469 people were killed in the Egyptian town of Dronka "when lightning struck a set of oil tanks, causing burning oil to flood the town." ®
Get our [13]Tech Resources
[1] https://news.un.org/en/story/2022/01/1110942
[2] https://public.wmo.int/en/media/press-release/wmo-rules-longest-distance-and-longest-duration-lightning-flashes
[3] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_offbeat/science&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=2&c=2YfkS21SJDsEB7uoGUSqZUwAAAFQ&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D2%26raptor%3Dcondor%26pos%3Dtop%26test%3D0
[4] https://public.wmo.int/en/media/press-release/wmo-certifies-megaflash-lightning-extremes
[5] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_offbeat/science&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=4&c=44YfkS21SJDsEB7uoGUSqZUwAAAFQ&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D4%26raptor%3Dfalcon%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[6] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_offbeat/science&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=3&c=33YfkS21SJDsEB7uoGUSqZUwAAAFQ&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D3%26raptor%3Deagle%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[7] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_offbeat/science&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=4&c=44YfkS21SJDsEB7uoGUSqZUwAAAFQ&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D4%26raptor%3Dfalcon%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[8] https://regmedia.co.uk/2022/02/01/supplied_wmo_lighthing_records.jpg
[9] https://www.theregister.com/2022/01/05/pittsburgh_meteor_explosion_nasa/
[10] https://www.theregister.com/2022/01/31/earth_to_voyager_2_standby/
[11] https://www.theregister.com/2021/12/13/deadly_midwest_storms_destroy_amazon_warehouse/
[12] https://www.theregister.com/2021/10/29/solar_storm_aurora/
[13] https://whitepapers.theregister.com/
The organisation measures two qualities of lightning: duration of a flash, and distance for a single flash.
In 2016 the outfit [2]awarded world records to a flash that blasted across France for 7.74 seconds in 2012, and a bolt that traversed 321km in the skies above Oklahoma in 2007.
[3]
A review of lightning records saw both eclipsed with the 2020 [4]certification of new records recorded in South America.
[5]
[6]
The longest duration flash record went to an event that lasted 16.73 seconds over northern Argentina on 4 March 2019. The long-distance flash record fell to a 709km event above Brazil in 2018.
Today the Organization announced new records.
[7]
Uruguay and northern Argentina teamed on a 17.102 second flash in June 2020, to take the long duration crown. The USA took back its long-distance title with a 768km flash recorded in April 2020. Neither event touched the ground, instead discharging their responsibilities in the atmosphere.
[8]
The record flashes tracked by the WMO.
Click to enlarge
The WMO made no mention of the new records being linked to Earth's changing climate. Instead the new records are the result of using space-based observations, rather than the previous ground-based methods. By looking down from above, lightning boffins see more events than was possible with terrestrial observations.
Helping matters further is that some satellites carry dedicated lightning-spotting kit.
The record events were observed in locations known to be very prone to lightning - which it turns out does strike the same place twice.
[9]Did you look up? New Year's Day boom over Pittsburgh was exploding meteor, says NASA
[10]Earth to Voyager 2: Standby for connection – after we tip this water out of the dish
[11]Midwest tornado destroys Amazon warehouse, killing six after worker 'told not to leave'
[12]Trick or treat? Massive solar storm could light up American skies this Halloween
The Organization also collects rather grim stats about lightning. For instance the deadliest bolt known, which killed 21 people who sought shelter from the storm in a Zimbabwean hut in 1975. And in 1994, 469 people were killed in the Egyptian town of Dronka "when lightning struck a set of oil tanks, causing burning oil to flood the town." ®
Get our [13]Tech Resources
[1] https://news.un.org/en/story/2022/01/1110942
[2] https://public.wmo.int/en/media/press-release/wmo-rules-longest-distance-and-longest-duration-lightning-flashes
[3] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_offbeat/science&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=2&c=2YfkS21SJDsEB7uoGUSqZUwAAAFQ&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D2%26raptor%3Dcondor%26pos%3Dtop%26test%3D0
[4] https://public.wmo.int/en/media/press-release/wmo-certifies-megaflash-lightning-extremes
[5] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_offbeat/science&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=4&c=44YfkS21SJDsEB7uoGUSqZUwAAAFQ&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D4%26raptor%3Dfalcon%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[6] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_offbeat/science&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=3&c=33YfkS21SJDsEB7uoGUSqZUwAAAFQ&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D3%26raptor%3Deagle%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[7] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_offbeat/science&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=4&c=44YfkS21SJDsEB7uoGUSqZUwAAAFQ&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D4%26raptor%3Dfalcon%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[8] https://regmedia.co.uk/2022/02/01/supplied_wmo_lighthing_records.jpg
[9] https://www.theregister.com/2022/01/05/pittsburgh_meteor_explosion_nasa/
[10] https://www.theregister.com/2022/01/31/earth_to_voyager_2_standby/
[11] https://www.theregister.com/2021/12/13/deadly_midwest_storms_destroy_amazon_warehouse/
[12] https://www.theregister.com/2021/10/29/solar_storm_aurora/
[13] https://whitepapers.theregister.com/
17 seconds ?
Pascal Monett
Was that 17 seconds of flash from starting point to ending point, or was it a bolt that started and then "travelled" to its endpoint ?
Imagine witnessing a lightning bolt like that. Flash ! Hey, lightning. Wow, see how long it is ? Whoa, it's still there. Hey, I even have time to fish my phone out of my pocket and snap a pic.
Lightning from the air is amazing
edjimf
Flying back from Crete once, we were at 40,000ft over Croatia and had a grandstand view of an electrical storm.
The Captain announced it over the PA system, telling those of us on the right hand side of the plane that we could see "Mother Nature in all her glory" and not to worry as the storm was about 100 miles away.
Mesmerising to watch from afar, wouldn't have fancied being underneath it!.
ISS
Gene Cash
Seeing lightning from the ISS is pretty amazing. NASA used to broadcast downward camera feeds to fill time on their channel. I don't know if they still do.
Shame
that neither of them would be visible in anything like their entirety from the ground.
Never quite got over the awe of having a pane of glass blown out of one of our windows, not by the thunder crack but by the steam explosion the lightning caused in a tree a couple of hundred yards from the house. It hit an ash tree and blew a limb some two foot across where it joined the trunk a good 25 foot for a 10 foot drop. My slightly mad father calculated that the joint which exploded had the energy of a stick of dynamite. I just wanted him to make a time machine so I could go back and watch it from a safe distance!