The Most Electric Place on Earth

A blinding flash of light streaks across the sky. Booming blasts of thunder fill the air. Another lightning bolt strikes the ground—and then another.

And another.

The sky seems like it’s about to explode.

In most areas, a violent storm like this would be over in minutes. But over Lake Maracaibo (mar-uh-KAHY-boh) in the South American country of Venezuela, such storms can last all night—and they occur almost 300 nights a year.

In fact, Lake Maracaibo gets more lightning than any other place on Earth. At the peak of the rainy season in September and October, lightning can strike twice a second for nine hours straight. The sky is always bright—even in the middle of the night. It’s so bright you can read by the light of these storms.    

Lightning has fascinated—and terrified—humans for millennia. Nearly all ancient cultures believed that lightning was controlled by the gods. The ancient Greeks, for example, believed that the god Zeus hurled thunderbolts at his enemies, and any spot where lightning hit the earth was considered sacred. In Norse mythology, the god Thor created lightning with his hammer. In Hindu mythology, lightning is the weapon of Indra, ruler of all gods.

Ancient civilizations generally saw thunderstorms as a sign that the gods were angry, and it’s easy to understand why. Rumbling skies and flashes of light that could set forests on fire, crumble buildings, and even kill animals and humans could hardly be taken as a sign that the gods were pleased.

Today, we know that lightning is caused by a sudden flow of electricity, either between two clouds or between clouds and the ground. Have you ever walked across a carpet and felt a small shock when you touched a door handle? Lightning is basically the same as that shock, except much, much more powerful.

Indeed, a bolt of lightning heats the air to more than 50,000 degrees Fahrenheit. That’s hotter than the surface of the sun. This blast of heat causes the air to expand so quickly that it creates a loud bang: thunder.

Even with all that we now understand about lightning, there is still more to learn. Currently, instruments on the ground, in the air, and in space are collecting information about lightning. Why? Because the better we understand lightning, the better job we can do of warning people when and where it is likely to strike. This is true even near Lake Maracaibo, where the lightning can seem as predictable as the rising and setting of the sun.

As for why Lake Maracaibo gets so much lightning, scientists believe it has to do with the area’s topography. Mountains surround most of the lake in a U-shape. At the top, open part of the U is the Caribbean Sea. In the evenings, cold air sweeps down from the mountains and meets warm, damp air rising from the lake and sea. The cold air pushes the warm air into the sky, where it forms clouds that can tower 7 miles high. Ice crystals form inside the clouds and collide with rising water droplets, creating an electric charge. Before long, a spectacular lightning show fills the sky.

A team of researchers has been collecting data about Lake Maracaibo. They are working to create lightning forecasts, which could help local fishermen and farmers stay safe and oil companies in the area do their work.

But no matter how much data is collected and how much is learned, the lightning over Lake Maracaibo will always seem magical. It will always seem like something sent by the gods. 

This article was originally published in the April 2019 issue.