Though it struck over the U.S. years ago, experts have only recently determined that a lightning bolt that a lightning flash that extended from Texas to Missouri back in October 2017 was actually the longest in recorded history.

Scientists using satellite data discovered a record-breaking lightning bolt that stretched 515 miles from Texas to Kansas City in 2017.

Scientists July 31 announced the discovery of the world's longest lightning flash ever detected – a whopping 515-mile-long bolt that blasted across central U.S. skies from Dallas to Kansas City in October 2017. In East Coast terms, that's equivalent to the distance from New York City to Charlotte, N.C.