Unlike the classic forked bolts that crash to Earth in a matter of milliseconds, megaflashes slither horizontally through massive storm systems, rarely touching the ground. Most lightning bolts are short (typically under 20 kilometers) and just an inch wide. But megaflashes travel across entire states.

Scientists July 31 announced the discovery of the world's longest lightning flash ever detected – a whopping 515-mile-long bolt that blasted across central U.S. skies from Dallas to Kansas City in October 2017. In East Coast terms, that's equivalent to the distance from New York City to Charlotte, N.C.