***EXCLUSIVE***
CATATUMBO DELTA, VENEZUELA – UNDATED: Fork lightning strikes from the ‘Everlasting Storm’ in the Catatumbo Delta, Venezuela.
A BLAST of lightning leaps from Venezuela’s ‘everlasting storm’ – which has been raging for HUNDREDS of years. The atmospheric phenomenon generates an estimated 1.2m lightning strikes a year and is visible from almost 250 miles away. Storm clouds gather in the same spot five-miles above Lake Maracaibo on between 140 and 160 night per year, lasting for about 10 hours at a time. The lightning storm, which scientists consider the single biggest generator of ozone on the planet, was first documented in the 16th Century and was even witnessed by Sir Francis Drake as he attempted to attack a Spanish colony.
PHOTOGRAPH BY Alan Highton / Barcroft Media
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