22.6% increase in lightning in India in 2020 compared to 2019; know which states saw most lightning strikes

Chennai: Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, West Bengal and Odisha are the top five states which reported most lightning in 2020.

Releasing its 2020 India Lightning Report today, Earth Networks, operator of a nationwide lightning detection network, said for whole of 2020, 39,549,444 lightning pulses were detected in India of which 12,022,402 were dangerous cloud-to-ground strikes.

The top five states with the most lightning last year were Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, West Bengal, and Odisha.

In 2020, India saw the highest concentration of lightning in May, June and September because of the monsoon season.

In 2020, although the average rainfall across India reached 109 per cent (just one per cent less than the 2019 average of 110 per cent), the lightning increased by 22.6 per cent compared to 2019.

Severe weather and the dangers of lightning pose a great threat to the Indian population.

India experiences extreme amounts of heat and moisture due to the country’s proximity to the equator and the Indian Ocean, contributing to severe and sudden thunderstorms throughout South Asia, the report said.

According to a study by the National Crime Records Bureau, since 2001, 2,360 people die in India every year due to lightning.

With the Indian Monsoon now fully advanced, the country has experienced tragic deaths due to severe weather within the past few weeks. (UNI)