Catatumbo lightning

Image Source    Catatumbo lightning at night

Catatumbo lightning is an atmospheric phenomenon which occurs over the mouth of the Catatumbo River where it connects with Lake Maracaibo. Lake Maracaibo is located in Venezuela. This place gets the highest number of lightning strikes per square km in the world. The lightning originates from a storm cloud of more than 1 km high, it occurs about 140 to 160 nights in a year, almost 10 hours per day and on average 280 times per hour.

Storm clouds gather over the mouth of the Catatumbo River as a result of the winds blowing across the Maracaibo Lake and surrounding plains. These air masses meet the high mountain ridges of the Andes, Mérida's Cordillera and the Perijá Mountains which encloses the plain from three sides. The moisture and heat collected across the plains create electrical charges and, as the air masses are destabilized by the mountain ridges, it results in thunderstorms. Large vertical clouds are formed in the area and this produces continuous lightning, mostly within the clouds. The lightning phenomenon produces a large volume of ozone gas, but its instability makes it doubtful that it may have any effect on the ozonosphere.

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The lightning became so celebrated that it was portrayed on the flag of Zulia (a state in Venezuela) and also mentioned in the state's anthem. The Catatumbo lightning has been popularly known for centuries as the "Lighthouse of Maracaibo" because it can be viewed for miles around Lake Maracaibo.

The rate of lightning in the Lake Maracaibo basin changes throughout the year, and it is also different from year to year. The lightning stopped from January to March 2010, due to drought in the area. This temporary change raised fears that the lightning might have ceased permanently.

Source: Wikipedia

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