Open AccessWMO World Record Lightning Extremes: Longest Reported Flash Distance and Longest Reported Flash Duration
Author(s) -
Timothy J. Lang,
S. Pédeboy,
W. Rison,
Randall S. Cerveny,
Joan Montanyà,
Serge Chauzy,
Donald R. MacGorman,
Ronald L. Holle,
Eldo E. Ávila,
Yijun Zhang,
Gregory W. Carbin,
Edward R. Mansell,
Yuriy Kuleshov,
Thomas C. Peterson,
Manola Brunet,
Fatima Driouech,
Daniel S. Krahenbuhl
Publication year - 2017
Publication title -
bulletin of the american meteorological society
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 3.367
H-Index - 197
eISSN - 1520-0477
pISSN - 0003-0007
DOI - 10.1175/bams-d-16-0061.1
Subject(s) - flash (photography) , lightning (connector) , duration (music) , meteorology , environmental science , geography , physics , optics , power (physics) , quantum mechanics , acoustics
A World Meteorological Organization weather and climate extremes committee has judged that the world's longest reported distance for a single lightning flash occurred with a horizontal distance of 321 km (199.5 mi) over Oklahoma in 2007, while the world's longest reported duration for a single lightning flash is an event that lasted continuously for 7.74 seconds over southern France in 2012. In addition, the committee has unanimously recommended amendment of the AMS Glossary of Meteorology definition of lightning discharge as a "series of electrical processes taking place within 1 second" by removing the phrase "within one second" and replacing with "continuously." Validation of these new world extremes (a) demonstrates the recent and on-going dramatic augmentations and improvements to regional lightning detection and measurement networks, (b) provides reinforcement regarding the dangers of lightning, and