The Catatumbo Lightning
Where a river meets a great lake in Venezuela, silent lightning flickers in the sky on more nights of the year than anywhere else.
What was reported
Where the Catatumbo River flows into Lake Maracaibo, storms gather on most nights of the year, and lightning flashes for hours at a time, sometimes dozens of times a minute. From far away it is often silent, a glow flickering on the horizon.
For centuries, sailors used it as a natural lighthouse, and it is known as the Beacon of Maracaibo. It appears on the flag of the state of Zulia.
Explanations offered
Scientists explain it by the local landscape. Warm, moist air from the lake meets cool winds coming down from the Andes, which surround the lake on three sides, and forms thunderstorms night after night. The lake has been named one of the places with the most lightning on Earth.
- When
- Most nights of the year
- Where
- Lake Maracaibo, Zulia, Venezuela
- Witnesses
- Sailors, fishermen and visitors
- Status
- Explained
Famous cases are real, widely reported events. Each file sets out what witnesses said and the explanations that have been offered, without taking a side.