Catatumbo Lightnings: An Atmospheric Show Worth Seeing

The lightning of Catatumbo, better known historically as lanterns of San Antonio or lanterns of Maracaibo,  is a meteorological phenomenon that develops in the basin of Lake Maracaibo in Venezuela,2 mainly in the southern part of the lake and in the lower basin of the Catatumbo River.

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It is characterized by the appearance of a series of lightning, electric discharges cloud earth, cloud earth and between clouds almost continuously whose thunders can be heard almost uninterruptedly if present under the storm.

This atmospheric spectacle is the product of cumulonimbus clouds that develop to altitudes between 12 and almost 16 kilometers high, and lightning can be observed at great distances during the night. Everything happens when the air masses penetrate below the northeastern winds, more humid and warm; thus, clouds of great vertical development occur, concentrated mainly in the basin of the Catatumbo River.

It occurs during the months of April and November producing electrical activity 95% nights and up to 260 times a year can be observed. After the fall of the night you can observe the show, which could last up to 10 hours; also, this phenomenon can reach more than 90 electric discharges per minute.

The Catatumbo lightning is recognized by Venezuelan society. For example, the shield and the flag of the State of Zulia, in the westernest side of the country, there is a ray that symbolizes the atospheric phenomenon that characterizes the region of Lake Maracaibo.

Also the lyrics of the hymn of the Zulia State, whose author is the Zulian Udón Pérez, include a stanza that refers to this phenomenon: "The light with which the lightning/tenacious of the Catatumbo/the nauta sets the course/which clear lantern."

Also, for their part, a local indigina ethnicity defines it very beautifully as "the concentration of millions of cocuyos [fireflies] that gather every night in the Catatumbo to pay tribute to the fathers of creation".

On March 20, 2003, environmentalist Erik Quiroga asked the then Minister of Environment Ana Elisa Osorio to include in the UNESCO List of Natural Heritage, the Ciénagas de Juan Manuel National Park and the Epicenter of the Catatumbo Lightning, and achieve for Zulia and Venezuela "The First Meteorological Phenomenon" "World Heritage Site".

This request has been publicly reiterated since that date until last year. It was declared a Zulia Natural Heritage o
27 September 2005.