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.