Limits RegistryPUBLIC RECORD
Limits RegistryA single lightning flash spanning 829 ± 8 km (515 ± 5 miles), from eastern Texas to near Kansas City, occurred on October 22, 2017 and was identified retrospectively using satellite lightning-mapper data; the WMO certified it as the new world record on July 31, 2025, surpassing the previous 768 km record from April 2020.
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A single lightning flash spanning 829 ± 8 km (515 ± 5 miles), from eastern Texas to near Kansas City, occurred on October 22, 2017 and was identified retrospectively using satellite lightning-mapper data; the WMO certified it as the new world record on July 31, 2025, surpassing the previous 768 km record from April 2020.
The greatest horizontal distance covered by a single, continuous lightning flash (a 'megaflash'), as certified by the World Meteorological Organization's Committee on Weather and Climate Extremes.
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Limits Registry. LR-LIGHTNING-FLASH-DISTANCE. Longest lightning flash (distance). 2026.