A world weather organization confirms that the longest recorded lightning bolt passed through southeast Kansas.

 

The World Meteorological Organization or W-M-O in Geneva, Switzerland, has confirm the new record for the world's longest lightning bolt during a thunderstorm on October 22, 2017, measured 515 miles long. The bolt extended from northeastern Texas across eastern Oklahoma and stretched nearly to Kansas City. The bolt crossed southeast Kansas through Cherokee County. The record-breaking strike is what is known as a megaflash, and its length is similar to the distance it would take to drive from Coffeyville to Minneapolis, Minnesota.

 

Most normal lightning bolts are only a mile or so long. The record-breaking bolt was not visible to the naked eye but was discovered thanks to advanced lightning detectors using weather satellites.