Welcome To The Lightning Capital Of The World
REUTERS/Jorge Silva
When his family moved to Lake Maracaibo four years later, the epicenter of that eternal storm, he met close-up what would become a lifelong passion: the Catatumbo Lightning.
"It amazed me. At nine, I fell in love with the lightning," Quiroga said in an interview.
As the years passed, Quiroga became an environmentalist and has spent two decades studying the cinematic natural phenomenon.
REUTERS/Jorge Silva
So what causes such a powerful storm to develop in the same spot, up to 300 nights a year?
Scientists think the Catatumbo, named for a river that runs into the lake, is normal lightning that just happens to occur far more than anywhere else, due to local topography and wind patterns.
Lake Maracaibo basin is surrounded by mountains that trap warm trade winds coming off the Caribbean. These winds crash into cool air spilling down from the Andes, forcing them up until they condense into thunderclouds creating an average 28 lightning strikes per minute across a wide area - an energy burst that could power all the lightbulbs in Latin America.
REUTERS/Jorge Silva
Quiroga, now 64, said the Catatumbo helps regenerate the ozone layer, based on a study led by Harvard University.
Despite its fame, the nearby villages of Ologa and Congo Mirador barely receive any tourists.
REUTERS/Jorge Silva
It was not until 1995, when he reached Lake Maracaibo on a visit to see its colorful houses on stilts when he was captivated by the phenomenon. The early explorers described the region as a "Little Venice," thereby giving rise to the name Venezuela.
REUTERS/Jorge Silva
Despite its natural beauty, Venezuela received just 1.2 million tourists last year, while neighboring Colombia welcomed nearly 4 million.
"There's still much to do," said Highton, crossing his arms shortly after dark, as the latest storm began to gather.
(Writing by Diego Ore, editing by Andrew Cawthorne)
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