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Lightning bolt extending across 3 U.S. states sets global record

Normally, lightning flashes last less than a second and don't stretch more than 10 miles.

HOUSTON — A bolt of lightning that stretched nearly 500 miles across three states is the new record holder for longest flash.

The World Meteorological Organization on Monday announced that a single bolt in 2020 stretched for 477 miles across Texas, Louisiana and Mississippi.

A few months later, a lightning megaflash in Uruguay and Argentina lasted 17 seconds, beating the old record for longest time. 

Both flashes were cloud-to-cloud so no one was in danger. They were spotted by satellite. 

Normally, lightning flashes last less than a second and don't stretch more than 10 miles.

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