Lightning disaster

Lightning seems to be more and more 'thirsty', after the statistical results show that the rate of casualties is increased by lightning in developing countries.

>>>Learn about lightning - the deadly beauty of nature

It seems that the chance of being struck by lightning becomes higher than usual, at least in some parts of the world. The number of people who die from being "beaten" here is even higher than other natural disasters such as floods, landslides and droughts. 'The frequency of lightning strikes does not know why it increased compared to before , ' BBC quoted Michael Nkalubo of Uganda Meteorological Department, where frequent lightning storms occur. In this East African country, every time someone buys a lottery ticket, there are friends or relatives who jokingly say, 'Lightning is easier than winning the lottery.' Ron Holle, a meteorologist at Vaisala Company (Finland), said that lightning deaths not only increased in Uganda but also across continents. 'In the past 10 years, we have discovered in Malawi, Swaziland, Zimbabwe and part of South Africa that the rate of lightning strikes has increased compared to those in the US 100 years ago,' Holle said.

Lightning strikes the Statue of Liberty in America - (Photo: Livejournal.com)

In addition to Africa, a series of meteorological experts in Asia and South America also reported a similar situation in their region. Besides Uganda, Southeast Asia also frequently receives lightning storms . 'It's a problem that is getting worse in the region,' said Hartono Zainal Abidin, Malaysia's meteorological expert. He said the incidents related to lightning are actually increasing, leading to death or serious injuries. However, countries like Cambodia and Thailand lack expert in this field, so the problem is still not noticed. Deadly lightning strikes also occur in South Asia and Latin America. Large storms accompanied by lightning often occur in subtropical regions, where most developing countries are concentrated. As reported by Osmar Pinto Junior expert of the Brazilian National Space Research Institute, the city of Manaus, located in the heart of the Amazon rainforest, there is a 50% increase in lightning in the past 30 years, and now stops at the billion 13.5 batches of lightning / km² per year.

Robert Holzworth, Professor at the University of Washington (USA), said the lightning forecasting method is becoming more effective thanks to the ever-growing technology. The global lightning positioning network, headed by Professor Holzworth, also received more information about lightning strikes compared to the previous time. But according to the same expert, the number of people who die from lightning is falling low in the US, and the less time they get. In the 1940s, at the beginning of the statistics, about 125 people died every year from "natural disasters" . As of the previous decade, an average of 40 cases of lightning strikes died annually. In 2011, only 26 people had bad luck, the lowest number in American history.

It is unclear why lightning appears at a higher frequency than before, but some experts believe that this trend may be related to climate change, shrinking forest area, increasing population . Estimated Every second at least 100 lightning strikes hit the earth, and more than 70% of these happen in tropical and subtropical regions. While cases of death due to lightning strikes plummeted almost to zero in developed countries, in poorer countries, many people still rely on agricultural farming and live in houses not equipped with lightning protection.