The lightning capital of the world is located here. “DIP” tells why this place has the highest concentration of lightning per square kilometer and how you can admire this beauty without risking your life.
Once the place with the highest amount of lightning was considered Kifuka in the Congo, where their density reaches 158 per square kilometer per year. But in 2014, the Catatumbo lightning was awarded the palm. At the place where the river flows into Lake Maracaibo, the concentration of lightning is at least 250 per square meter per kilometer. This is recorded in the Guinness Book of Records.
To say that lightning does not strike twice in the same place can only be people who have never been to this place. Incredible electrical storms can be observed here for about 160 nights a year, and each storm can last up to 7-10 hours.
Local Indians believed that it was here that fireflies live, which move into the souls of deceased relatives.
The natural phenomenon has a scientific explanation. Lake Maracaibo is surrounded by high mountains, they catch the warm trade winds blowing from the Caribbean Sea. Warm air masses collide with cold ones descending from the Andes and rise, where huge thunderclouds form.
Under certain conditions, Catatumbo lightning can be seen from a distance of 400 kilometers, at such a distance the sound of thunder is no longer audible. By the way, the sailors were guided by these lightning bolts as a beacon. The lake was called that – the lighthouse of Maracaibo.
If you come to Venezuela, be sure to take a night tour to see the eternal storm over Maracaibo. For observation, special sites are equipped, which are located at a sufficient distance so that those who wish to admire the elements are safe.