12. A colorful but never-ending lightning storm on Catatumbo River

A sea storm is both terrifying and beautiful. But Catatumbo River in Western Venezuela takes this concept to a whole new level. It hosts a storm that never stops. At precisely 7PM every night, the lightening starts crashing on the water. The storm continues for 10 hours and occurs 260 nights per year.

There are different theories to why it happens; the most common one being the presence of uranium in the bedrock. The theory is a complicated one and not accepted by all scientists. It says that the shape of the mountains cause warm winds to collide with cold air from Andes. The water is evaporating below and there is a methane presence from a nearby oil field – all of these factors contribute.

But that is just a theory, no one knows for certainty why it happens. In 2010, the storm mysteriously stopped, the skies went clear and everything was calm for about 6 weeks. Then it raged again and has been continuing ever since.