World Meteorological Organization
Dr Randall Cerveny is a President’s Professor in Geographical Sciences who specializes in weather and climate in the School of Geographical Sciences and Urban Planning at Arizona State University, USA. He has also been the Rapporteur of Weather and Climate Extremes for the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) since 2007.
Visit the WMO's World Weather & Climate Extremes ArchiveLongest-lasting lightning strike
In September 2016, the World Meteorological Organization announced a new record for the longest-lasting lightning flash ever witnessed. On 30 August 2012, over south-east France, a cloud-to-cloud lightning bolt travelled horizontally for around 200 kilometres and lasted 7.74 seconds. The average duration for a lightning bolt is just 0.2 seconds.