A Neverending Lightning Storm
You think Seattle has it bad. How about a lightning storm that lasts for 10 hours a day, 160 times a year.This almost permanent storm occurs over the marshlands where the Catatumbo River feeds into Lake Maracaibo and it is considered the greatest single generator of ozone in the planet, judging from the intensity of […]
You think Seattle has it bad. How about a lightning storm that lasts for 10 hours a day, 160 times a year.
This almost permanent storm occurs over the marshlands where the Catatumbo River feeds into Lake Maracaibo and it is considered the greatest single generator of ozone in the planet, judging from the intensity of the cloud-to-cloud discharge and great frequency. The area sees an estimated 1,176,000 electrical discharges per year, with an intensity of up to 400,000 amperes, and visible up to 400 km away. This is the reason why the storm is also known as the Maracaibo Beacon as light has been used for navigation by ships for ages.
[via oddee]
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Add comment January 26th, 2008
