In an unusual weather occurrence, a total of 36749 lightning occurred in the space of 13 hours in the south Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. Lightning strikes are not news in India but that many in such a short span of time are a rare happening. This is a result of the “extreme weather patterns”, said the state disaster management authority.
The eastern coast of Andhra is known to have such extreme climate activities, but this year the cold winds from Arabian sea and warm winds from the northern part of India collided with each other and led to the formation of an unusual number of clouds. This cloud cover spreads across an area as wide as 200 kilometres and this increased the possibility of lightning strikes.
Nine people have died in the state so far from lightning attacks. The toll of lightning deaths in India is as high as 2000 per year since 2005, according to the National Crime Record Bureau. With no adequate warning systems and a lot of people working outdoors, the numbers are hard to control. Kishan Sanku who runs the state Emergency Operation Centre said that his office sends alerts through messaging services like Whatsapp and Telegram and also gave warnings via television and radio.
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