Lightning Hotspot

You’ve probably heard the old saying: “Lightning never strikes the same place twice.” Well, that doesn’t apply to Lake Maracaibo in Venezuela. Scientists have found that this location gets struck about a million times per year! During some storms, bolts flash up to 28 times per minute.

People have known about the lightning at Lake Maracaibo for centuries. It’s visible from hundreds of miles away. Sailors used the bright flashes as a reference point to help them navigate during colonial times. The lightning, which is active nearly 300 days per year, is so reliable that people nicknamed it the Lighthouse of Maracaibo. But it wasn’t until this year that scientists learned that the lake gets zapped by lightning more often than any other location in the world.

You’ve probably heard the old saying: “Lightning never strikes the same place twice.” Well, that isn’t true at Lake Maracaibo in Venezuela. Scientists have found that this spot gets struck about a million times per year! Bolts flash up to 28 times each minute during some storms. 

People have known about the lightning at Lake Maracaibo for centuries. It can be seen from hundreds of miles away. During colonial times, sailors used the location of the flashes to help them navigate. The lightning is active nearly 300 days per year. It’s so reliable that people call it the Lighthouse of Maracaibo. This year scientists learned that the lake gets zapped by lightning more often than any other spot in the world.

The secret to Lake Maracaibo’s storms is its geographic setting (see Perfect Storm). The lake is nestled in a valley in the Andes Mountains near the Caribbean Sea. Winds blowing down from the mountains and sea breezes channel air over the warm waters of the lake. With all those winds converging in one place, the air has nowhere to go but up—and that leads to storms.

During the day, the lake water soaks up the sunlight. As temperatures drop at night, the lake remains warmer than its surroundings, because water retains heat energy. The warm, humid air above the lake’s surface rises and cools. This causes moisture in the air to condense. The water vapor changes from a gas to a liquid, forming clouds, rain droplets, and ice particles—and generating the spectacular thunderstorms that rage almost every night.

Lightning is white. But when viewed through dust and other particles in the air, it can take on a range of hues. Maracaibo is known for its colorful displays.

The secret to Lake Maracaibo’s storms is its location. The lake sits in a valley in the Andes Mountains near the Caribbean Sea. Winds blow down from the mountains, and breezes flow from the sea. They carry air over the warm waters of the lake. All of these winds meet in one place. The air has nowhere to go but up, and that leads to storms.

The lake water soaks up sunlight during the day. At night, temperatures drop. But the lake stays warmer than the area around it, because water holds heat energy. The warm, humid air above the lake’s surface rises and cools. This makes moisture in the air condense. The water vapor changes from a gas to a liquid. It forms clouds, rain droplets, and ice particles—and creates the spectacular thunderstorms that rage almost every night.

Lightning is white. But it can take on a range of colors when it’s seen through dust and other particles in the air. Maracaibo is known for its colorful displays.