Uploaded August 2025 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
On the Science of Lightning and the Newly Detected Record Megaflash Bolt 515 miles (829 km) Long
A new paper by the WMO (World Meteorological Organization) confirms the existence of a newly discovered "megaflash" lightning bolt that extended over 515 miles (829 km), breaking the world record for such a phenomena.
I discuss this event, but first chat about the basic science of charge separation in clouds, lighting strikes in its various forms (cloud to cloud, cloud to air, cloud to ground, etc.) as well as other upper atmosphere electrical discharge phenomena including sprites and elves.
Fascinating phenomena.
An often mentioned concept: For every 1 degree C of climate change warming, water vapor (moisture) in the air increases by 7%.
Much less well known concept: For every 1 degree C of climate change warming, lightning strikes in the contiguous United States increased by 12%.
Please donate to PaulBeckwith.net to support my research and videos connecting the dots on abrupt climate system mayhem.
References referred to within video:
NBC News article: July 31, 2025
A Shocking Record: Lightning Bolt stretched 515 miles, crossed three states
nbcnews.com/science/science-news/shocking-record-lightning-bolt-stretched-515-miles-crossed-three-state-rcna221993
Brittanica.com illustrations of charge separation and lightning types in clouds:
britannica.com/science/thunderstorm/Thunderstorm-electrification
Wikipedia: Representation of upper-atmospheric lightning and electrical-discharge phenomena
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Upper-atmospheric_lightning#/media/File:Lightning_sprites.jpg
Wikipedia: Sprite Lightning
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sprite_%28lightning%29
Wikipedia: Upper Atmospheric Lightning
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Upper-atmospheric_lightning#elves
American Meteorological Society article:
A New WMO-Certified Single Megaflash Lightning Record Distance: 829 km (515 mi) occurring on 22 October 2017
journals.ametsoc.org/view/journals/bams/aop/BAMS-D-25-0037.1/BAMS-D-25-0037.1.xml
Capsule Comment:
The World Meteorological Organization has recognized a new world
record lightning discharge distance of 829 km ± 8 km (515 ± 5 mi) that extended from eastern Texas to near Kansas City MO USA within a 22 October 2017 thunderstorm complex.
NBC News article: Feb 1, 2022
477-mile lightning bolt spanning 3 states sets world record
nbcnews.com/science/science-news/477-mile-lightning-bolt-spanning-3-states-sets-world-record-rcna14323
Climate Central article from July 31, 2025
WMO certifies ‘megaflash’ lightning world record in US
climatecentre.org/15802/wmo-certifies-megaflash-lightning-world-record-in-us
Royal Society of Meteorology article:
How does climate change affect thunderstorms?
rmets.org/metmatters/how-does-climate-change-affect-thunderstorms
Peer-reviewed Science article:
Projected increase in lightning strikes in the United States due to global warming
Abstract
Lightning plays an important role in atmospheric chemistry and in the initiation of wildfires, but the impact of global warming on lightning rates is poorly constrained. Here we propose that the lightning flash rate is proportional to the convective available potential energy (CAPE) times the precipitation rate. Using observations, the product of CAPE and precipitation explains 77% of the variance in the time series of total cloud-to-ground lightning flashes over the contiguous United States (CONUS). Storms convert CAPE times precipitated water mass to discharged lightning energy with an efficiency of 1%. When this proxy is applied to 11 climate models, CONUS lightning strikes are predicted to increase 12 ± 5% per degree Celsius of global warming and about 50% over this century.
Link: science.org/doi/10.1126/science.1259100
Perplexity.ai queries:
What is the largest extent lightning flash?
How was the 515-mile lightning bolt verified and measured exactly?
Could megaflashes become more common with climate change trends?
perplexity.ai/search/what-is-the-largest-extent-lig-PbgS4_IgTCuaV3VPQ.b..w
Please donate to PaulBeckwith.net to support my research and videos connecting the dots on abrupt climate system mayhem.
On the Science of Lightning and the Newly Detected Record Megaflash Bolt 515 miles (829 km) Long
A new paper by the WMO (World Meteorological Organization) confirms the existence of a newly discovered "megaflash" lightning bolt that extended over 515 miles (829 km), breaking the world record for such a phenomena.
I discuss this event, but first chat about the basic science of charge separation in clouds, lighting strikes in its various forms (cloud to cloud, cloud to air, cloud to ground, etc.) as well as other upper atmosphere electrical discharge phenomena including sprites and elves.
Fascinating phenomena.
An often mentioned concept: For every 1 degree C of climate change warming, water vapor (moisture) in the air increases by 7%.
Much less well known concept: For every 1 degree C of climate change warming, lightning strikes in the contiguous United States increased by 12%.
Please donate to PaulBeckwith.net to support my research and videos connecting the dots on abrupt climate system mayhem.
References referred to within video:
NBC News article: July 31, 2025
A Shocking Record: Lightning Bolt stretched 515 miles, crossed three states
nbcnews.com/science/science-news/shocking-record-lightning-bolt-stretched-515-miles-crossed-three-state-rcna221993
Brittanica.com illustrations of charge separation and lightning types in clouds:
britannica.com/science/thunderstorm/Thunderstorm-electrification
Wikipedia: Representation of upper-atmospheric lightning and electrical-discharge phenomena
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Upper-atmospheric_lightning#/media/File:Lightning_sprites.jpg
Wikipedia: Sprite Lightning
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sprite_%28lightning%29
Wikipedia: Upper Atmospheric Lightning
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Upper-atmospheric_lightning#elves
American Meteorological Society article:
A New WMO-Certified Single Megaflash Lightning Record Distance: 829 km (515 mi) occurring on 22 October 2017
journals.ametsoc.org/view/journals/bams/aop/BAMS-D-25-0037.1/BAMS-D-25-0037.1.xml
Capsule Comment:
The World Meteorological Organization has recognized a new world
record lightning discharge distance of 829 km ± 8 km (515 ± 5 mi) that extended from eastern Texas to near Kansas City MO USA within a 22 October 2017 thunderstorm complex.
NBC News article: Feb 1, 2022
477-mile lightning bolt spanning 3 states sets world record
nbcnews.com/science/science-news/477-mile-lightning-bolt-spanning-3-states-sets-world-record-rcna14323
Climate Central article from July 31, 2025
WMO certifies ‘megaflash’ lightning world record in US
climatecentre.org/15802/wmo-certifies-megaflash-lightning-world-record-in-us
Royal Society of Meteorology article:
How does climate change affect thunderstorms?
rmets.org/metmatters/how-does-climate-change-affect-thunderstorms
Peer-reviewed Science article:
Projected increase in lightning strikes in the United States due to global warming
Abstract
Lightning plays an important role in atmospheric chemistry and in the initiation of wildfires, but the impact of global warming on lightning rates is poorly constrained. Here we propose that the lightning flash rate is proportional to the convective available potential energy (CAPE) times the precipitation rate. Using observations, the product of CAPE and precipitation explains 77% of the variance in the time series of total cloud-to-ground lightning flashes over the contiguous United States (CONUS). Storms convert CAPE times precipitated water mass to discharged lightning energy with an efficiency of 1%. When this proxy is applied to 11 climate models, CONUS lightning strikes are predicted to increase 12 ± 5% per degree Celsius of global warming and about 50% over this century.
Link: science.org/doi/10.1126/science.1259100
Perplexity.ai queries:
What is the largest extent lightning flash?
How was the 515-mile lightning bolt verified and measured exactly?
Could megaflashes become more common with climate change trends?
perplexity.ai/search/what-is-the-largest-extent-lig-PbgS4_IgTCuaV3VPQ.b..w
Please donate to PaulBeckwith.net to support my research and videos connecting the dots on abrupt climate system mayhem.
