The longest lightning bolt recorded stretched an astonishing 199 miles over Oklahoma on June 20, 2007. Covering roughly three-quarters of the length of the state, 200 miles is roughly the distance from New York City to Washington DC.
The longest-lasting flash occurred in Provence-Alpes, France, on August 30, 2012. It continued for 7.74 seconds.
Both records are documented in an upcoming report to be published in the Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society.
"[This] reinforces critical safety information regarding lightning, specifically that lightning flashes can travel huge distances from their parent thunderstorms," said Randall Cerveny of the WMO, according to USA Today.
"Our experts’ best advice: when thunder roars, go indoors."
