The Lighthouse of Maracaibo or Lightning of the Catatumbo is a natural phenomenon that produces numerous electrical storms, the same one is in the Basin of the lake of Maracaibo, State Zulia, Venezuela. Approximately 1.6 million lightning bolts fall annually, they appear continuously. NASA declared this site as the world capital of lightning.
In 2014, it was officially recognized by the Guinness World Record as the place with the "highest concentration of lightning in the world." Although these occur throughout the year, the months in which they can best be seen are those of October. and November, on the other hand, the least frequent are January and February, possibly during a certain drought this phenomenon may disappear temporarily.
Although there is no absolute clarity regarding the origin of the rays that occur in the catatumbo the hypothesis that has been more accepted until now is linked to the orography.
The warm trade winds of the northeast coming from the Caribbean blow on the waters of Lake Maracaibo, these winds are introduced into the lake in late hours when the evaporation process increases, then meet with two huge obstacles from the Andes, which are, the Serrania de Perijá to the north and La Cordillera de Mérida to the south of the lake.
In the presence of these enormous obstacles, added to the shock with the cold air coming from the Andes, the winds diminish their speed, they ascend and produce large vertical development clouds which are concentrated in the Catatumbo River basin, which produces the storms that they give rise to the numerous electric shocks that have a height of 2 and 10 kilometers.
If at any time you decide to travel to Venezuela, do not forget to go through this beautiful town to enjoy the impressive and impressive rays of Catatumbo.
