Lightning records

This article is about the weather phenomenon. For the record label, see Lightning Records (UK label).

Because technology to measure lightning is advancing rapidly, records of extreme lightning are an emerging area. Large lightning discharges remain difficult for scientists to measure and observe.

The longest horizontal distance spanned by a known lightning bolt is 829 kilometers, or 515 miles, over the US states of Mississippi, Louisiana and Texas in 2020. The longest known duration of a bolt is more than 17 seconds, observed over Uruguay and northern Argentina in 2020. As the technology to measure these so-called megaflashes is emerging, scientists anticipate more length records in the future.

The highest energy lightning bolts are called superbolts; the maximum energy of superbolts is difficult to determine directly. Optical output up to approximately 10 terawatts has been recorded by satellites. Attempts have been made to estimate and compare bolt energy in joules, by the heat produced, and by the length of resulting fulgurites. The highest known electrical potential for an entire thunderstorm is 1.3 giga volts.

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