What is special about Catatumbo Lightning?

The phenomenon is characterized by almost continuous lightning, mostly within the clouds. The lightning produces a great quantity of ozone though its instability makes it unlikely that it has any effect on the ozonosphere.

How many people have died from Catatumbo Lightning?

According to Catatumbo Camp, a lightning tourism company near the lake, nearly three people die every year in the lightning capital of the world.

How long has Catatumbo Lightning been around?

3. How Long Has Catatumbo Lightning Been Observed? The Catatumbo lightning has been observed for centuries over Lake Maracaibo.

Is the Catatumbo storm real?

The Catatumbo Lightning, also known as the Beacon of Maracaibo or the “everlasting storm”, is seasonal lightning around Lake Maracaibo (13,200 square kilometres) in northern Venezuela. During this nocturnal phenomenon, there are over 250 strikes per square kilometre and they occur up to 100km away from the lake.

How often does Catatumbo lightning occur in a year?

It originates from a mass of storm clouds at a height of more than 1 km, and occurs during 140 to 160 nights a year, 10 hours per day and up to 280 times per hour. It occurs over and around Lake Maracaibo, typically over the bog area formed where the Catatumbo River flows into the lake.

Is the Catatumbo storm different from other thunderstorms?

Contrary to myths, the type of thunderstorm, and attendant lightning, produced with the Catatumbo storms are no different from highly electrified thunderstorm complexes commonly seen in many parts of the world.

Where does the lightning occur in Lake Maracaibo?

It occurs over and around Lake Maracaibo, typically over a bog area formed where the Catatumbo River flows into the lake. The lightning changes its frequency throughout the year, and it is different from year to year.

When did Alexander von Humboldt describe the Catatumbo lightning?

The Prussian naturalist and explorer Alexander von Humboldt described it in 1826. And Italian geographer Agustin Codazzi described it in 1841 as “like a continuous lightning, and its position such that, located almost on the meridian of the mouth of the lake, it directs the navigators as a lighthouse.”