title: WMO World Record Lightning Extremes: Longest Reported Flash Distance and Longest Reported Flash Duration.
abstract: A World Meteorological Organization weather and climate extremes committee has judged that the world's longest reported distance for a single lightning flash occurred with a horizontal distance of 321 km (199.5 mi) over Oklahoma in 2007, while the world's longest reported duration for a single lightning flash is an event that lasted continuously for 7.74 seconds over southern France in 2012. In addition, the committee has unanimously recommended amendment of the AMSGlossary of Meteorologydefinition of lightning discharge as a "series of electrical processes taking place within 1 second" by removing the phrase "within one second" and replacing with "continuously." Validation of these new world extremes (a) demonstrates the recent and on-going dramatic augmentations and improvements to regional lightning detection and measurement networks, (b) provides reinforcement regarding the dangers of lightning, and
authors.affiliation: NASA Marshall Space Flight Center.
authors.forename: Timothy J
authors.initials: TJ
authors.lastname: Lang
authors.affiliation: Météorage.
authors.forename: Stéphane
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Pédeboy
authors.affiliation: Electrical Engineering, New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology.
authors.forename: William
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Rison
authors.affiliation: School of Geographical Sciences, Arizona State University.
authors.forename: Randall S
authors.initials: RS
authors.lastname: Cerveny
authors.affiliation: Polytechnic University of Catalonia.
authors.forename: Joan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Montanyà
authors.affiliation: Laboratoire d'Aérologie, University of Toulouse/CNRS.
authors.forename: Serge
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Chauzy
authors.affiliation: National Severe Storms Laboratory, NOAA, Norman, Oklahoma.
authors.forename: Donald R
authors.initials: DR
authors.lastname: MacGorman
authors.affiliation: Vaisala, Inc., Tucson, Arizona.
authors.forename: Ronald L
authors.initials: RL
authors.lastname: Holle
authors.affiliation: FaMAF, Universidad Nacional de Cordoba, Argentina. IFEG-CONICET.
authors.forename: Eldo E
authors.initials: EE
authors.lastname: Ávila
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Lightning Physics and Protection Engineering, Chinese Academy of Meteorological Sciences.
authors.forename: Yijun
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: Storm Prediction Center, NOAA, Norman Oklahoma.
authors.forename: Gregory
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Carbin
authors.affiliation: National Severe Storms Laboratory, NOAA, Norman, Oklahoma.
authors.forename: Edward R
authors.initials: ER
authors.lastname: Mansell
authors.affiliation: Australian Bureau of Meteorology & School of Mathematical and Geospatial Sciences, Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology (RMIT) University.
authors.forename: Yuriy
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Kuleshov
authors.affiliation: World Meteorological Organization Commission for Climatology.
authors.forename: Thomas C
authors.initials: TC
authors.lastname: Peterson
authors.affiliation: Centre for Climate Change, Dept. of Geography, University Rovira i Virgili & Climatic Research Unit, School of Environmental Sciences, University of East Anglia.
authors.forename: Manola
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Brunet
authors.affiliation: Climate Studies Service at the Direction de la Météorologie nationale of Morocco.
authors.forename: Fatima
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Driouech
authors.affiliation: School of Geographical Sciences, Arizona State University.
authors.forename: Daniel S
authors.initials: DS
authors.lastname: Krahenbuhl