Catatumbo lightning: Bolts that could illuminate all of South America

There is one phenomenon that sticks out from others, which one would not like to be caught by surprise by it. We talk about the lightning of Catatumbo. The phenomenon actually consists of a very strong discharge without a pause of thunder and lightning. It occurs around the Lake Maracaibo basin in Venezuela and the orography of the place is key to the formation of electrical discharges due to the proximity between the Caribbean Sea and the mountain ranges of the area. The images of the Catatumbo lightning appear actually fictitious, and it occurs especially between the months of April and November. In fact, according to NASA EarthData data, the phenomenon can occur between 260 and 300 days a year, with up to 250 lightning strikes per square kilometer. NOAA research physicist Ángel G. Muñoz assured that the phenomenon can cause a large number of deaths per year, since one in four Venezuelans lives in this area. Lightning is usually born after sunset when it is already dark. According to the experts, cited by Xataka, about 28 rays per minute are produced for nine hours on Lake Maracaibo. That is more than 15,000 lightning strikes in that period. NASA assures that the phenomenon could illuminate 100 million light bulbs, and 10 minutes of these lightning bolts would illuminate all of South America. According to National Geographic, more than a million lightning strikes originate each year in the area, which regenerates 10% of the planet's ozone layer.