Get more relevant results for: clouds, catatumbo lightning, conditions, bright, catatumbo and download more royalty free footage in Nature, categories. The rayo del Catatumbo (Catatumbo lightning), also known as the Faro de Maracaibo (Maracaibo beacon), puts forth an average of 232.52 flashes of lightning per square kilometer each year. The original name was rib a-ba or "river of fire". Moisture and heat combine to create electrical charges when the air masses meet the Andes mountains' high ridges, the Perij Mountains . _Mehr auf:http://gewitterjagd.nethttp://facebook.com/gewitterjagdhttp://facebook.com/gewitterjagdteamhttp://twitter.com/gewitterjagd 2020 is the 5th consecutive year in which at least one Category 5 hurricane formed in the Atlantic basin, and the first time since 1932 where a Category 5 storm formed in November. Catatumbo lightning ( Spanish: Relmpago del Catatumbo) [1] is an atmospheric phenomenon that occurs over the mouth of the Catatumbo River where it empties into Lake Maracaibo in Venezuela. These months all fall within the wet season in Venezuela. In northwest Venezuela, at the place where Lake Maracaibo meets the Catatumbo River, lightning occurs, on average, twenty-eight times per minute for up to nine hours each day after dusk, for around 300 days a year, accompanied by a storm. Reporte pblico CMC-GEO-DDI-02-2011. [15][16], A team from the Universidad del Zulia has investigated the impact of different atmospheric variables on Catatumbo lightning's daily, seasonal and year-to-year variability, finding relationships with the Inter-Tropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ), El NioSouthern Oscillation (ENSO), the Caribbean Low-Level Jet, and the local winds and convective available potential energy (CAPE). According to NASA, lightning strikes the roughly 100-square-mile area about 28 times a minute over the course of nine hours. The origin of the Catatumbo Lightning is unknown. Even though previously the mountain village of Kifuka in the Democratic Republic of Congo in Central Africa was know to be the most electric place on Earth, with 158 lightning flashes per square kilometer each year, the Catatumbo lightning has surpassed this figure with 250 lightning flashes per square kilometer each year. lightning strikes anywhere on the planet, but in a few places on earth an accumulation of clouds forms, flashing almost every night for thousands and thousands of years and from those few places the place where a phenomenon like this occurs most constantly according to research of the nasa is venezuela, in the south of the lake of the state However, as of yet, in the absence of sufficient proof, it is though that a combination of various factors, including the land topography and wind patterns, could be responsible for the everlasting storm. Unfortunately for Kifuka there is a new kid on the block, claiming a far higher frequency of lightning discharges. The index seems to capture well the compound effect of multiple climate drivers. "RELAMPAGO DEL CATATUMBO OBSERVADO DESDE BACHAQUERO BLOQUE 06".JPG 4,107 2,738; 3.92 MB. August 2, 2011 -- A mysterious symphony of rapid-fire lightning bolts used to create the greatest light show on Earth over the Catatumbo River in Venezuela -- until . Located on the mouth of the Catatumbo river at Lake Maracaibo (Venezuela), the phenomenon is a cloud-to-cloud lightning that forms a voltage arc more than five kilometre high during 140 to 160 nights a year, 10 hours a night, and as many as 280 times an hour. Known as the "Relmpago del Catatumbo," (relmpago means lightning in Spanish) this lightning storm has been raging, on and off, for as long as people can remember. Thousands of new, high-quality pictures added every day. The film shows how the fisherman of the village used the lightning to illuminate their night fishing trips, but that environmental degradation, political conflict, and economic decline are turning Congo Mirador into a ghost town. [10], Some authors have misinterpreted a reference to a glow in the night sky in Lope de Vega's description in his epic, "La Dragontea" of the attack against San Juan de Puerto Rico by Sir Francis Drake as an early literary allusion to the lightning (since in another verse the poet does mention Maracaibo), but it was actually a reference to the glow produced by burning ships during the battle. How the lightning forms. The rayo del Catatumbo (Catatumbo lightning), also known as the Faro de Maracaibo (Maracaibo beacon), puts forth an average of 232.52 flashes of lightning per square kilometer each year.. In the 20th century, when it became clear that storms caused the phenomenon, Venezuelans stopped calling it the Maracaibo Beacon and renamed it Catatumbo lightning. With 250 strikes, Venezuela's Lake Maracaibo region lands in the 2015 Guinness Book of World Records as the place with the most lightning bolts per square kilometer each year. Experts also claim that the high rates of deforestation seen in the lands around the River Catatumbo have added volumes of silt and sediments into the Lake Maracaibo, which could also potentially reduce the frequency of such lightning strikes in the region in the future. Catatumbo lightning at night. He concluded that the lightning has several epicenters in the marshes of Juan Manuel de Aguas National Park, Claras Aguas Negras, and west Lake Maracaibo. http://www.furiousearth.comStorm Chaser, George Kourounis travels to Lake Maracaibo in Venezuela where a phenomenon known as the Catatumbo Everlasting Lightning storm occurs. In Merida town (a 2,5-kilometer drive south from the lake) you can book an arranged jeep tour, paragliding, horse riding and rafting. 594k members in the polandball community. Lenght: 2 Days / 1 Night. O scar sees the lightning every night. Relmpagos del Catatumbo regeneran la capa de ozono? Almost 300 nights a year, a lightning storm rages in a small part of Venezuela. " In 2014, Guinness World Records gave the Catatumbo lightning the award for the highest concentration of lightning in the world. Efforts are also being made to declare the site as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The lightning is such a source of local pride that Zulia, one of Venezuela's 23 states, boasts about the Relmpago del Catatumbo by displaying lightning bolts on its flag and coat of arms. For six weeks beginning in January of that year, no signs of the lightning events were observed in the skies over the Lake Maracaibo. Get this stock video and more royalty-free footage. Muoz and his colleagues suggest that these seasonal drivers can help scientists predict lightning activity over the long term. "Catatumbo lightning" refers to continuous (high frequency) lightning from a near-daily thunderstorm complex that forms in the Lago de Maracaibo/Catatumbo River region in northern Venezuela, South America. Colombia, relacin geogrfica, topogrfica, agrcola. The study also speculated that an isolated cause for the lightning might be the presence of uranium in the bedrock. That's about 28 lighting strikes every minute enough energy to power 100 million light bulbs. It occurs only over the mouth of the Catatumbo River where it empties into Lake Maracaibo. Tour guide, Alan Highton explains the phenomenon. From 1799 to 1800, the German explorer Alexander von Humboldt and naturalist Aim Bonpland made a year-long visit to Venezuela. One place in Venezuela, near the confluence of the Catatumbo River and Lake Maracaibo, experiences dazzling lightning storms almost every day, making it Earths most electric spot. Along the Catatumbo river you can rent a boat and bungalows for overnight. On July 24, 1823, the electrical storm acted like a lighthouse for the naval forces of Admiral Jos Prudencio Padilla, who managed to defeat to a squadron of Spanish ships in the battle of Lake Maracaibo. Catatumbo stars and storm, c. Alan Highton Do not plan on getting a huge amount of sleep at night, unless you want to miss the whole point of the trip. July 20, 2011, 3:58 PM. These lightning storms can last as long as 9 hours per day, with as many as 28 lightning strikes per minute. The village of Catatumbo in northern Venezuela, lies on the shore of Lake . Catatumbo Lightning is most active in the wetter months of September and October, and least active in the drier months of January and February. [4], The lightning changes its flash frequency throughout the year, and it is different from year to year. Catatumbo Lightning doesn't actually fire nonstop, but for at least a few centuries, it has occurred around 150 times per year in Venezuela. The lightning of Catatumbo flashes above Curacao. There, lightning strikes occur, on average, 300. In a 12-hour period, Earth Networks Total Lightning Network detected 5,250 total lightning strikes over the lake, which is fed by the Catatumbo River. 1. Browse 27 catatumbo lightning stock photos and images available, or start a new search to explore more stock photos and images. But the most likely explanation lies in the mechanics of wind and the unique topographic conditions of the region, specially at the lakes southern confluence with the Catatumbo River. The exact reason for such high electrical activity in the region is not yet known. [2] It originates from a mass of storm clouds at an . I believe the photo below is a time lapse image. It happens that Catatumbo Lightning, known in Spanish as Relmpago de Catatumbo, is a unique meteorological phenomenon that illuminates the skies nearly half of the year! In the past, people attributed Catatumbo lightning to the action of uranium in the bedrock, methane released by the surrounding swamps, or the massive oil deposits of Lake Maracaibo. All maps, graphics, flags, photos and original descriptions 2022 worldatlas.com, Places In The World Where Lightning Strikes The Most, Meet 12 Incredible Conservation Heroes Saving Our Wildlife From Extinction, India's Leopard God, Waghoba, Aids Wildlife Conservation In The Country, India's Bishnoi Community Has Fearlessly Protected Nature For Over 500 Years, Wildfires And Habitat Loss Are Killing Jaguars In The Amazon Rainforest, In India's Sundarbans: Where People Live Face-To-Face With Wild Tigers, Africa's "Thunderbird" Is At Risk Of Extinction. Storm chasers flock to remote Catatumbo, where most experts estimate that lightning strikes roughly 140 to 160 nights a year, with flashes often visible seven to 10 hours per night. Sometimes, it even lasts for as long as 10 hours a day, with about 300 lightning strikes every hour. Why Is Biodiversity Critical To Life On Earth? Centro de Modelado Cientfico (CMC). And the spectacular phenomenon may even be responsible for Venezuela's independence. [2] It originates from a mass of storm clouds at an altitude of more than 1km (0.6mi), and occurs during 140 to 160 nights a year, nine hours per day, and with lightning flashes from 16 to 40 times per minute. XIV Int. Yes, that is quite the show. The highest volume at Relmpago del Catatumbo can be up to 3,600 bolts in one hours, which means one per second. According to NASA, the energy released during just 10 minutes of Catatumbo lightning could illuminate the whole of South America. [5] The phenomenon is characterized by almost continuous lightning, mostly within the clouds. On most nights of. [12], Russian researcher Andrei Zavrotsky investigated the area several times. 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. In Venezuela, at the mouth of the Catatumbo River where it meets the Lake Maracaibo, a unique and impressive natural phenomenon, variously known as the "Catatumbo lightning", the "Beacon of Maracaibo" or the Everlasting Storm, captures the eyes and attention of all observers there to witness it. The only time the Catatumbo lightning disappeared for an extended period of time in the previous century was in 1906, when it vanished for nearly three weeks. In 2010 a severe drought caused by El Nio stopped the constant lightning storms, worrying the areas residents. Muoz, .G., Nez, A., Chourio, X., Daz-Lobatn, J., Mrquez, R., Moretto, P., Jurez, M., Casanova, V., Quintero, A., Zurita, D., Colmenares, V., Vargas, L., Salcedo, M.L., Padrn, R., Contreras, L., Parra, H., Vaughan, C., Smith, D., 2015: Reporte Final de la Expedicin Catatumbo: Abril 2015. Catatumbo Lightning tours have come into existence as they deliver a powerful appeal to the buffs turned on by unusual natural phenomena. This amazing spectacle of nature is often visible as a brightly illuminated night sky from as far away as 400 kilometers from the origin of the lightning strikes. He watches its mile-high dance above the mouth of Venezuela's Catatumbo River, seventy miles across the Caribbean Sea from his shack on the island of Curaao. ws catatumbo lightning at night / san carlos de zulia, zulia, venezuela - catatumbo lightning stock videos & royalty-free footage Several hypothesis have been put forward to explain the phenomena. of 1. The disappearance of the lightning was apparently due to an El Nio event during this time, which was responsible for a severe drought in Venezuela, when rainfall was extremely scanty and rivers nearly completely dried up. Brazil. stock footage in high definition 1920x1080. During this nocturnal phenomenon, there are over 250 strikes per square kilometre and they occur up to . Though the Catatumbo lightning returned back to the region in April of 2010, there were fears that such an event of its disappearance is going to become more frequent in the future due to the looming threat of climatic change all over the world. Known as Relmpago del Catatumbo, the storm is located where the Catatumbo River flows into Lake Maracaibo.Warm air . Even though previously the mountain village of Kifuka in the Democratic Republic of Congo in Central Africa was know to be the most electric place on Earth, with 158 lightning flashes per square kilometer each year, the Catatumbo lightning has surpassed this figure with 250 lightning flashes per square kilometer each year. These storms can last up to 10 hours and produce 280 strikes of lightning per hour. [23], Coordinates: 92039N 714238W / 9.34417N 71.71056W / 9.34417; -71.71056 (Approximate center), Walker, Alexander (1822). Guinness World Records recognizes the Catatumbo area as having the highest concentration of lightning on Earth, and since 2002, environmentalist Erik Quiroga has lobbied UNESCO to declare the lightning a world heritage site. 5:44. In the 1960s, it was believed that the high volumes of uranium deposits in the bedrock of the region could attract lightning strikes to the lake. In early 2010, news spread that the Catatumbo lightning had vanished, causing significant unrest among the locals in the region, and also triggering scientists to wonder as to the reason for the disappearance of the lightning. Several traditional songs of the Zulia State and the regional anthem mention it, and since 1991, it has been pictured on the Zulia State flag. Lightning activity is so common there that it has a proper name, Catatumbo Lightning, named for the Catatumbo region located in the southwest corner of the basin. The Catatumbo Lightning in Venezuala. For example, it ceased from January to March 2010, apparently due to drought, leading to speculation that it might have been extinguished permanently.