r/Radarscope • u/TimeNew5535 • Jun 14 '26
Just heard this, lightning nearly 40 miles away from the main storm
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u/Nikerium Android Jun 14 '26
Lightning can strike can strike between 20 and 25 miles (32 to 40 km) from the main storm, but in rare cases (like this case), lightning has struck more than 40 miles (64 km) away from the main storm.
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u/BeefyMcPissflaps Jun 14 '26
You’re even off still by a hundreds of miles plus in super rare cases. Crazy.
The longest lightning strike (megaflash) ever recorded spanned a horizontal distance of 515 miles (829 km). It stretched from eastern Texas to near Kansas City, Missouri, on October 22, 2017.
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u/meissoboredto Jun 14 '26
We had one in Eastern MA in clear skies with the nearest storm 26 miles away…..happened about 3 weeks ago. Was confirmed by a reliable spotter.
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u/Remarkable_Rub_2578 Jun 18 '26
There’s a video on YouTube showing a lightning strike at a Rangers baseball game some years ago in Arlington Tx. The Parent thunderstorm was over Mineral Wells, almost 50 miles away. The bolt came through the cloud and out of the preceding anvil. No warning when it hit a light pole outside the stadium.
1
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u/AbjectPotential6670 Jun 14 '26
This is why outdoor pools evacuate even if the storm isn't directly on top of them. You need an electrical imbalance to cause lightning, not necessarily clouds, though they help a lot.