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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
World
Taro Kaneko

US lightning flash was longest on record at 515 miles, scientists say

A flash of lightning in a dark sky
Advances in space-based mapping have allowed for better recording of large lightning flashes. Photograph: Gleb Garanich/Reuters

A 515-mile (829km) lightning flash has set a new record as the longest ever identified.

The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) confirmed the new world record for the flash registered on 22 October 2017 over the Great Plains in the US. It stretched from east Texas to near Kansas City, Missouri, roughly the distance between Paris and Venice.

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