The World Meteorological Organization has confirmed a new record for the longest lightning strike traveling across the sky. Longest distance single strike of 477.2 miles across the Gulf coast from Texas to Mississippi on April 29, 2020. The impressive distance is comparable to the stretch between New York City and Columbus Ohio. A mega lightning strike in South America lasted more than 17 seconds, setting a new record for duration. It was documented October 31, 2018, within a thunderstorm over Uruguay and Northern Paraguay. Lightning observation is changing as technology gets better. Previous records were detected by ground-based instruments known as lightning mapping arrays. New satellite observers are allowing weather observers a bird's-eye view of storms over big distances. The two new record-breaking bolts were recorded on instruments aboard the GOES-16 and GOES-17 satellites, which are operated by NASA and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).
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