Lightning struck and set a world record. The flash occurred in 2017 and spanned from eastern Texas to near west-central Missouri — a distance of 515 miles, according to Smithsonian Magazine. Eight years later, scientists have recognized the lightning flash as the longest ever documented.

"This new record clearly demonstrates the incredible power of the natural environment," professor Randall Cerveny said.

A lightning strike that stretched from Texas to Missouri in 2017 was recently certified as the longest single lightning flash in recorded history. The strike stretched a distance that would take nearly nine hours to drive.