Over the wetlands in the southwestern part of Lake Maracaibo in Venezuela, you can see an unforgettable sight - a powerful and almost continuous thunderstorm - up to 20 thousand lightning flashes per night. This is the famous Catatumbo lightning - the most continuous thunderstorm on the planet. It is not known for certain when this phenomenon arose, but the fact that it entered the legends of indigenous peoples is a fact.
The Catatumbo lightning has been well described by renowned naturalists Alexander von Humboldt and the Italian geographer Agustin Codassi, who described them as a continuous flash emanating from the vicinity of the Zulia River.
In the XX - early XXI century, other scientists investigated the mechanism of Katatumbo lightning. Melchor Bravo Centeno in 1911 suggested that Catatumbo lightning occurs due to the specific wind regime for the region and the features of the terrain.
Venezuelan scientist of Russian origin Andrei Zavrotsky (organized three expeditions in 1966-1970) identified three epicenters of Catatumbo lightning: in the swamp of the Juan Manuel de Aguas National Park, in Claras Aguas Negras and in a place to the west of the lake. At that time, many believed that lightning was caused by the evaporation of oil, but Zavrotsky denied this version, because in two of the three places he designated as epicenters, there is no oil.
The expeditions of Nelson Falcon and other scientists led to another hypothesis - the pyroelectric mechanism. She suggests that the winds over the Maracaibo plains collect methane, which fuels the lightning bolts. However, there are many areas in the world where the concentration of methane in the air is much higher, and this phenomenon is not observed in them.
On September 27, 2005, the Catatumbo Lightning was declared a Natural Heritage Site for the State of Zulia. They were also included in the provisional list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites.
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In January 2010, an unusual event occurred - the Catatumbo lightning disappeared. Darkness looms over Lake Maracaibo. But detailed studies showed that the discharge process continued, it was just that the lightning was inaccessible for observation with the naked eye. Most likely, the reason for the stop was an unusual drought in Venezuela.
The Katatumbo lightning resumed its activity three months later, in April 2010. Before that, this happened only in 1906 and only for a period of three weeks. This happened after the tsunami caused by a catastrophic earthquake with a magnitude of 8.8.
Lightning is observed in the area between 8 ° 30 'and 09 ° 45' N. and 71 ° -73 ° W, in the state of Zulia (Venezuela). Unlike ordinary thunderstorms, Catatumbo lightning always occurs in the same place and can be observed 140-160 nights a year for 10 hours.
The thunderstorm begins about an hour after sunset. It is extremely intense (up to 20 thousand flashes in one night), and the charges have a strength of over 400 thousand amperes each.
The thunderstorm occurs in giant storm clouds in the foothills of the mountain. The Maracaibo plain at night is often free of clouds. Boats overlook the lake, from which passengers can enjoy the beautiful phenomenon of nature.
Thanks to the clear sky, lightning is visible from afar even in the Caribbean Sea - even from a distance of 500 km. This is how the second name of this phenomenon arose - the Maracaibo Lighthouse. It is unlikely that a person can build a lighthouse brighter than this.
In addition, these lightnings are often orange and red. Some researchers, as well as journalists and tour operators, believe that these features are due to the unique chemistry of the Katatumbo area. In fact, these are ordinary lightning, just a clear sky over Lake Maracaibo allows you to see very far - a thunderstorm occurs 50-100 km from the lake.
Thunder at such a distance is heard rarely and distantly. The rumble of thunder does not travel this distance, being lost halfway. The indicated distance and particles of dust and vapors in the air are responsible for the extraordinary color of the atmospheric phenomenon.
Due to the fact that at such a large distance, only electrical discharges between different parts of the thundercloud are visible, a misconception has arisen that Catatumbo lightning, unlike ordinary lightning, does not strike the ground. This, of course, is not true.
Scientific research on Catatumbo lightning continues to this day, new explanations appear. But, most likely, everything was explained back in 1911. The clue to this unique landmark most likely lies in the interaction of the unique local topography, wind and heat.
High mountains surround the Maracaibo plain on three sides. A specific wind (low air currents) blows from the only direction free from the mountain range - from the northeast. The hot tropical sun heats the lake and marshes during the day - these hot vapors, in turn, humidify the air.
To the southwest of the plain, the wind meets high mountains. Electrically charged masses of humid and hot air are forced to go up here. Vapor condensates form thunderclouds and an electrical discharge occurs.
It is scientifically estimated that Maracaibo lightning produces about 10% of the world's tropospheric ozone.
The disappearance of Catatumbo lightning in 2010 caused alarm: is the planet's climate really changing in such a drastic way? According to ecologists, the cause of this alarming signal was human activity in the region - deforestation and the development of agriculture.