My name is Jhon Castillo Luftt and I come to teach you a very interesting phenomenon in Venezuela where it is known as the eternal storm Lightning of the Catatumbo located in the lake of Maracaibo- Venezuela
Mainly in the south zone of this lake and in the lower basin of the river Catatumbo, from where comes its name. Scientists at the Center for Scientific Modeling indicate that it would be more appropriate to talk about Catatumbo lightning because they tend to occur at multiple ![descarga.jpg]each night, but from a distance they are seen as a single phenomenon.
This phenomenon is characterized by the appearance of a series of lightning almost continuously and practically silent by the great distances that are needed to observe the phenomenon, which occurs in clouds of great vertical development forming electrical discharges between 1 and almost 4 kilometers Of altitude, as the winds associated with the Low Level Night Jet of the Lake Basin of Maracaibo penetrate in the surface of the lake in afternoon hours (when the evaporation is greater) and they are forced to ascend by the mountainous system Of Perijá (3,750 meters above sea level) and the Cordillera de Mérida, the Venezuelan branch of the Andes (up to 5,000 meters above sea level).
The origin of this phenomenon is in the orographic effect of these mountain ranges that enclose and brake the winds of the northeast; Thus, clouds of great vertical development are produced, concentrated mainly in the basin of the Catatumbo river. This phenomenon is very easy to see from hundreds of kilometers away, as from Cúcuta, in Colombia, or from the lake itself (where there are usually no clouds during the night). Therefore, it is also known as the Maracaibo Lighthouse, since the boats that crossed the area could navigate during the night without problems during sailing. It can occur up to 260 times a year and lasts up to 10 hours a night; In addition, this phenomenon can reach the sixty discharges per minute.
