The mystery of the land "struck by lightning" that receives 10 lightning strikes every day

The mystery of the land "struck by lightning" that receives 10 lightning strikes every day

Saturday, June 29, 2024 21:10 PM (GMT+7)

Because of the thousands of lightning bolts that strike the sky each night, the sky above Lake Maracaibo is almost always ablaze. Locals even use the light to navigate their boats at night. The Guinness Book of World Records has given Lake Maracaibo the title of “most lightning-struck place in the world.”

The special thing is that lightning only strikes at the same place, time and repeats itself for 300 days a year. That is when the sunset falls on Lake Maracaibo, a large brackish lake in northwestern Venezuela, and also when strong winds arise, thunder and lightning begin to tear the sky.

For many years, locals have regularly witnessed the "wrath" of nature with lightning storms raging for about 10 hours every night.

"River of fire in the sky" or "river of fire from the sky" are some of the nicknames that locals use to refer to Lake Maracaibo.

Because of the thousands of lightning bolts that strike the sky each night, the sky above Lake Maracaibo is almost always ablaze. Locals even use the light to navigate their boats at night.

The reason why this land is struck by lightning so often and so violently is due to the topography of the surrounding environment. Specifically, Lake Maracaibo is surrounded on three sides by mountain ranges, with the northern shore of the lake opening up to the Gulf of Venezuela.

Lightning over Lake Maracaibo usually occurs at the same time every evening. However, it tends to be less active during the dry season.

The number of storms here decreases slightly during the dry months (January and February) and peaks during the rainy season, around October. At this time, an average of 28 lightning strikes can be observed every minute.

On average, lightning appears about 140 - 160 nights/year, 10 hours/day and 28 times/minute. Some scientists also revealed that the best time to watch the unique lightning appear at Lake Maracaibo is between September and November every year.

Lightning in Lake Maracaibo is also notable for its many different colors such as red, pink, orange, purple...

The reason why lightning at Lake Maracaibo has so many colors comes from the humidity of the air. If the humidity is high, the water droplets in the air are very small. As a result, the lightning has bright, eye-catching colors. When the humidity is low, the lightning will be white instead of red, orange, purple.

With such a high number of lightning strikes, Lake Maracaibo is the only place in the world where tropospheric ozone is produced. In 2016, researchers discovered that they could predict the Catatumbo lightning several months in advance. The findings were a godsend for the locals who depend on the fish from Lake Maracaibo for their livelihoods.

The Guinness Book of World Records has awarded Lake Maracaibo in Venezuela the title of "The place with the most lightning strikes in the world". This land is likened to "the heavens" when it has to endure 10 lightning strikes every day, 300 days of lightning a year.

PV (according to ANTĐ)

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Source: https://danviet.vn/bi-an-vung-dat-bi-troi-danh-hung-chiu-10-tieng-set-moi-ngay-20240629210752297.htm