News Excerpt:
Catatumbo lightning is a mesmerising natural phenomenon that occurs over the Catatumbo River in Venezuela.
About Catatumbo Lightning:
- The specific lightning phenomenon associated with Lake Maracaibo is known as Catatumbo Lightning.
- It is named after the Catatumbo River that feeds into the lake.
- A convergence of several factors gives rise to the unique conditions required for Catatumbo lightning.
- Warm, moist air from the Caribbean Sea is pushed towards the Andes mountains, where it collides with cooler air descending from the peaks.
- This collision creates a perfect storm of sorts as the warmer air is forced to rise rapidly by the shape of the local landscape.
- As it does, it cools and condenses, forming towering cumulonimbus clouds.
- The combination of strong winds and temperature differentials generates electrical charges within these clouds.
- The cumulonimbus clouds sometimes reaching heights of more than 5 km load up on static electricity.
- When the electrical potential within the clouds becomes too great, it discharges in the form of lightning.
- Catatumbo lightning is distinguished by its frequency and duration:
- The strikes occur for up to 160 nights in a year, with an average of 28 lightning strikes per minute at its peak.
- Due to this constant flow of current, the area has earned the title of the lightning capital of the world.
Lake Maracaibo: Why is it the most lightning-struck location in the world?
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