Catatumbo in Venezuela has truly transformed itself into a unique supernatural area on Earth. It is the only place that sees 260 days and nights of a continuous lightning storm in a year. No planet has known so far that showcases this unbelievable weather phenomenon. It originates from the Catatumbo River and empties into Lake Maracaibo. The average lightning strikes per hour have been observed to be around 280 times.
1. What Scientists Are Reasoning
Several experiments and observations have been made to understand the reason of such bizarre weather conditions. But scientists are yet to reach a proper explanation unanimously. It is said that the heat and the moisture that accumulates across the entire plain are responsible for continuous generation of electric charges.
2. Why The Reasoning Is Wrong
If the reason is true then there should be lightning storm for the entire year rather than only during 260 days. These 260 days are not fixed and scientists have not been able to predict the storm correctly. A study has shown that the epicenter of the storm varies greatly every year. There is a popular saying that lightning never strikes the same place twice and it is also backed up by scientific explanation but this place seems to be an exception.
3. The Good Thing About It
The only good thing about the mysterious lightning storm is the fact that it creates a large quantity of ozone. Though maximum percentage of the ozone generated is unstable but the stable portion gets added to the ozonosphere healing it of its hole created by air pollution.
4. Striking Features Of The Storm
Nothing about this Catatumbo lightning storm is common with other lightning storms that various places receive. It occurs nearly for 10 hours time span. It starts at almost the same time every day and that too in the same place. But the most striking feature is that it produces no thunder during lightning. Another weird thing is that unlike lightning in other places of the Earth, here it does not strike the ground.
5. Disappearance Of The Lightning Storm
In 2010, the famous Catatumbo lightning storm disappeared suddenly. Scientists and weather observers have tried to reason it with the deforestation and drought theories but they are not fully convinced themselves. The local people considered the lightning phenomenon as the anthem of the region. This unusual phenomenon used to attract a lot of tourists. It certainly goes down in the history as of the one most bizarre natural phenomenon of all time.
You can watch the video of this amazing lightning phenomenon below
