Lightning fatalities in US on the rise this summer

Lightning fatalities in US on the rise this summer

Lightning fatalities in the United States are on the rise this summer, NWS said. The death toll from such accidents this year rose to 29, which is the most since 2010. After floods, lightning is the second highest cause of weather-related deaths in the United States…

Surge of lightning deaths in Bangladesh, 261 so far this year

Surge of lightning deaths in Bangladesh, 261 so far this year

South Asian country of Bangladesh is experiencing a surge of lightning deaths this year. As of June 22, 2016, 261 people have died from lightning, placing the country on track to beat last year’s 265 deaths. A similar surge is reported in the neighboring…

Lightning reshapes rocks at the atomic level

Lightning reshapes rocks at the atomic level

At a rock outcropping in southern France, a jagged fracture runs along the granite. The surface in and around the crevice is discolored black, as if wet or covered in algae. But, according to a new paper coauthored by the University of Pennsylvania’s Reto

Global lightning activity

Global lightning activity

Lightning occurs more often over land than over the oceans and it seems to happen more often closer to the equator, according to satellite observations.The map below shows the average yearly counts of lightning flashes per square kilometer from 1995 to 2013. Areas with

Sensing lightning from ISS

Sensing lightning from ISS

Across the atmosphere of Earth, lightning flashes about 50 times per second. That’s 4.3 million times a day and roughly 1.5 billion times a year. Using a new instrument on the International Space Station (ISS), scientists are trying to observe and dissect at

Australia: 5000 lightning strikes during storms

Australia: 5000 lightning strikes during storms

 Five thousand lightning strikes danced across southeast Queensland skies overnight but the thunderstorms were not as severe or damaging as the weather bureau expected. The thunderstorms produced 5000 lightning strikes since 11pm (AEST) on Tuesday, with more