World: Longest Distance Lightning
World: Longest Distance Lightning
| Record Value | 321 km (199.5 miles) |
|---|---|
| Date of Record (DMY) | 06:07:22 UTC 20/6 (June)/2007 |
| Length of Record | Limited Field Measurement (5-6/2007) |
| Instrumentation | 7 VHF stations |
| Geospatial Location | Oklahoma, United States [35.86°N, 96.32°W to 36.00°N, 99.63°W] |
References
WMO Evaluation Panel of experts in charge of global weather and climate extremes within the WMO Commission for Climatology (CCl) consisted of the following experts: Timothy J. Lang (US), Stéphane Pédeboy (France), William Rison (US), Randall S. Cerveny (US), Joan Montanyà (Spain), Serge Chauzy (France), Donald R. MacGorman (US), Ronald L. Holle (US), Eldo E. Ávila (Spain), Yijun Zhang (China), Gregory Carbin (US), Edward R.Mansell (US), Yuriy Kuleshov (Australia), Thomas C. Peterson (US), Manola Brunet (Spain), Fatima Driouech (Morocco).
Discussion
Given a selection of 7 stations and χc2 of 5, the maximum great circle distance (Haversine method) for the 20 June 2007 (06:07:22 UTC) flash between two sources is 323 km, minus 2 km (standard error) , resulting in 321 km. This distance of 321 km (199.5 mi), recorded on 20 June 2007 (06:07:22 UTC), is thereby deemed acceptable as the WMO’s official “Longest Distance” record lightning extreme for the globe.
No previous record existed.
Locator Map (Courtesy of Bulletin of the AMS)