Catatumbo River and its lightning

In fraternal Venezuela Maracaibo Lake, which flows into the river in the Catatumbo. Over this place beats lightning 1.2-1.6 million times a year. A lot or a little? Quite a lot of from 140 to 160 days per year for 7-10 hours. Almost continuously. In one and the same place. It can be seen for 400 miles. But almost inaudible. That is, in general almost silently.
The phenomenon is so significant that it was even depicted on the flag and emblem of the State of Zulia. A local Wayuu Indians believe that these lightning - souls of the dead.
In January 2010, the lightning that flashed over the centuries, for some reason (presumably due to drought) have disappeared, but resumed in April. There was even a little panic over the loss of the largest source of ozone on the planet.