Catatumbo Lightning // Brain Bites
Channel: Brain Bites
Date: 2015-03-16

Subscribe here: http://bit.do/SubToBrainBites
Watch more videos: http://bit.do/WatchMoreBrainBites

Animated by Alex Trimpe - http://alextrimpe.com
Voiceover by Mandy Rose – http://mandyrose.com

The Catatumbo Lightning is the name of a storm that occurs 300 days out of the year in Venezuela South America, and produces an estimated 1.2 millions lightning strikes.

Scientists think it happens because of specific topography and wind patterns in that area. Catatumbo is a river that runs into Lake Maracaibo, which is surrounded by mountains that trap warm air coming off the Caribbean. Cold air splashes down from the Andes, causing them to collide and form thunderclouds producing 28 lightning strikes per minute...for a very, very long period of time. 

This video is under a Creative Commons license meaning you can use it freely in your classroom or a public space with attribution. Please link people back to this channel. Thank you!

Facebook: http://facebook.com/brainbitesvideos

Photos by: https://theaussietraveller.wordpress.com, and Alan Highton / NatGeo, 

Sources: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/southamerica/venezuela/11217889/Venezuela-everlasting-lightning-storm-enters-book-of-records.html
http://abcnews.go.com/International/venezuelas-mysterious-catatumbo-lightning-phenomenon-vanishes-months-reappears/story?id=14120203