Gone in a flash! Largest EVER lightning strike recorded in the US

The World Meteorological Organization say the flash beat the previous record by over 50 miles

A new world record has been set for the longest lightning strike.

The mega-flash zipped a stunning 829km across the sky in the US, all the way from Texas to near Kansas city - nearly the length of mainland Britain!

It happened back in 2017, but new technology used to measure the length of lightning means scientists now know it was the biggest strike in history.

The flash broke the previous record of 768km, which happened in the same area in 2020.

It's not the first time lightning records have been re-written because of new technology.

In 2022, scientists discovered a lightning bolt that struck South America lasted for a record-breaking 17.102 seconds.

That's nearly twice as long as Usain Bolt's world record 100m run, which took 9.58 seconds, and not far from teen super-sprinter Sorato Shimizu's 100m time either!

What is lightning?

New technology means the length of lightning can now be measured from space.

Lightning is caused by static electricity.

It starts in the clouds, when bits of ice move around and clash into each other, which builds up electricity.

If the charge builds up enough, it zooms as a massive electrical current to the ground or to another cloud, which is why we see a flash in the sky.

How is it measured?

Lightning can either strike the ground or another cloud

There are different ways lightning can be recorded.

Lightning used to be measured by special sensors on the ground, but new technology uses something called 'orbital satellites'.

These are special satellites that can measure lightning from space.

To measure the strike, the satellites stay in the same spot in space and track lightning as it spreads over huge distances.

This is how the record-breaking strike in America was recorded.

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