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

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.

The lightning strike, which occurred over the southern U.S. in 2017, was found in a reanalysis of satellite and lightning data.