ASU professor helps measure longest lightning flash in new certified record

In October 2017, a thunderstorm in the United States produced lightning that extended across several states. Now, researchers from different institutions, including one from Arizona State University, identified this “megaflash” as setting a new discharge distance world record.

The lightning flash spanned 515 miles from eastern Texas to Kansas City and lasted over 7 seconds.

ASU geographical sciences professor Randy Cerveny says the event was overlooked at first but later reanalyzed. He forms part of the World Meteorological Organization, a United Nations weather agency that recognized the new record.

“The storm in which this particular lightning flash, megaflash, occurred, was in terms of meteorology, historic because it was one of the first storms where we truly identified megaflashes," he said.

Cerveny says technology helped detectors with documenting the phenomenon of nature.

“Now what we've done is we put an instrument on board our weather satellites. It's called a lightning mapper. And we can see from space exactly, very precisely, where a lightning strike starts and where it finishes," he said.

Cerveny says such megaflashes occurring in Arizona are unlikely. However, he still stresses the record shows the need to remain safe during thunderstorms and monsoon season from lightning strikes.