Are earth changes causing lightning to become stronger?

I found the attached article and it represents only one of many recently that discusses what I think is an increase in lightning fatalities and damage.

theextinctionprotocol.wordpress.com...

I live in Louisville,KY and we've had several fatalities and several other dwellings destroyed this year due to lightning stikes. I can remember lightning causing fires before but never destroying entire dwellings or buildings.

Also I've seen unprecendented lightning displays accompanying the storms we've had locally this year.

So my question to fellow ATSers are as follows;

Is lightning becoming stronger and more prevelant? If so what's causing it? Does NOAA or the NWS historically track lightning strikes and intensity? Will it get worse?

www.lightningsafety.noaa.gov...

reply to post by beanandginger


That is very interesting. Last week we had some thunderstorms over here, and I noticed the exact same thing.

The rumbling was so loud and crackling and ominous, in a way I had never experienced before.

reply to post by beanandginger
Lightning strike has allways been powerful, i can't say if they get more powerful, but deaths and building damage is pretty common.

dfsecurity.com.my...

Lightning is one of the worst natural killers, causing at least 25,000 deaths a year worldwide. Compared to hurricanes and tornadoes, lightning claims more victims each year but as it usually strikes one person at a time, it continues to keep a low profile. This is true even in countries that record a high number of lightning strikes, like malaysia. In fact, as highlighted recently by US National Lightning Safety Institute (NLSI) chairman Richard Kithil Jr, Malaysia has the second highest number of lightning strikes in the world, after central Africa.

Hartono Zainal Abidin says lightning strikes often damage masonry corners and he says 80% of high-rise buildings in the Klang Valley suffer from such damage.

Lightning damage to church

In the past, there were less antennae and towers. Cloud-to-ground lightning often struck trees or whatever conducted best. Now we have buildings loaded with equipment on the roof as well as more and more cell towers.

I'm not saying this is the only reason for more damaging lightning, but it makes sense to me.

I have lived in FL for many,many years, since I was a young child.
Lightning is becoming more powerful, everybody that I know is in agreement. Just two days ago I was sure that a house on my block (if not mine) was to be struck by lightning.

Luckily I am in Georgia recording for the next three days.

last week a persons house in my area was hit by lightning, completely destroyed all electrical equipment in is his house

all his pcs, xbox, tvs etc burnt to a crisp


first time have witnessed this quite incredible

Lightning struck 3 people, killing one, at the Pocono Racetrack last week. Listening to the police scanner lately, the lightning seems to be causing all kinds of fires. I'm also too afraid to sit by the window on the sun porch anymore when we have storms...Getting extremely dangerous, or more bolts?? Definately more interesting....

All I know about this is by my life's experience.

When I was young the lightning frequency within a thunderstorm seemed so much less.

Now that I am much older, I am witnessing lightning occurring at a greater frequency (one burst after another) enough so that it was very noticeable.

Something's afoot, because our Canadian government has warned us of impending severe storms that our houses roof tiles/roofs will probably not withstand.

last tuesday here in Vancouver, BC we had what I could say was the most powerful storm I have ever witnessed for this area. The air, lightning, and thunder all seemed different like a different charge that came with the storm as well as constant flash after flash of lightning and thunder. Seemed like no break in between, as I said in another thread didn't seem normal or is maybe just the new normal.

Add to that the summer cyclone in the arctic that hung around for a few days and I'd say the time they are a changing.....

SaneThinking

My guess is the interstellar cloud that we are apparently passing thru, but who knows if that is true.

I live in Lexington KY, close to the OP, and storms have been freaky lately. And the news doesn't really report in time anymore. Lightning seems to be spreading more, as opposed to 1 bolt branching off sparingly, it seems like 5-6 bolts at once that seem to "circle" the sky around my town. It is freaky.

Yes, the lighting is behaving wildly and nobody is studying it. Why is that?

It is the sun that is making it stronger. The sun is very active.

I think even the Texas Rangers ball players are freaked out over the lightning. Here's a video of them running for cover!

www.huffingtonpost.com...

2011 lightning - Alberta, Canada - one of the most violent in half a century?

What's important now is knowing how to protect yourself.

Quote:



Preparing for severe storms

Stock up on heating fuel and ready-to-eat food, as well as battery-powered or wind-up flashlights and radios – and extra batteries. For a complete list of emergency supplies, go to emergency kits. Also, learn what to have in your car emergency kit.

When a severe storm is on the horizon, the Meteorological Service of Canada issues watches, warnings and advisories through radio and television stations, the WeatherOffice Website, automated telephone information lines and Environment Canada's Weatheradio.

Other tips for preparedness
•If a severe storm is forecast, secure everything that might be blown around or torn loose – indoors and outdoors. Flying objects such as garbage cans and lawn furniture can injure people and damage property.
•If you are on a farm with livestock, bring the animals into the barn. Make sure they have plenty of water and food.
•Trim dead branches and cut down dead trees to reduce the danger of these falling onto your house during a storm.
•If you are indoors, stay away from windows, doors and fireplaces.
•You may want to go to the sheltered area that you and your family chose for your emergency plan.
•If you are advised by officials to evacuate, do so. Take your emergency kit with you.
•You can use a cellular telephone during a severe storm, but it's not safe to use a land-line telephone.
•Never go out in a boat during a storm. If you are on the water and you see bad weather approaching, head for shore immediately. Always check the marine forecast before leaving for a day of boating and listen to weather reports during your cruise.
•If you are in a car, stop the car away from trees or power lines that might fall on you). Stay there.
•On a farm, generally, the effects of severe storms on livestock are lessened by moving animals to avoid the storm; mitigating the storm's effect if it cannot be avoided; or sheltering the animals. The approach taken would depend upon the type of disaster anticipated.

www.emergencyportal.ca...

Still one of my favorite videos I've seen on ESPN. I could only imagine how loud and intense this moment would have been for anyone in attendance.

youtu.be...

Also, there was a pretty severe thunder/lightning storm in WA over the summer, and it rivaled the ferocity of those I happen to be apart of in the Midwest. I've witnessed them in WA before, but never had I been in the middle of a storm that shook my house. I'd say there might be an increase in the power of these storms, but that's just my two cents.

reply to post by MmmPie


Now that you mention it, my house shakes alot too during these severe thunder/lighning storms.

One thing to remember is, the environment is never constantly. It always changes, it is not static at all. And it doesnt matter what scale you measure that on, be it daily or generationally in this case. There is no normal amount of lightning in that sense, so there could well be more than there was when anyone here was growing up. Heck most weather has patterns. Certain areas of the world used to get way more rain that they do now, Spain as an example. From what I read a lot of southern vineyards are displeased with it, but at this hour im not scrolling through my history for it.

A guess as to why it happens? I can only offer a guess and not much in depth research, food for thought is simple in that lightning is just static charge in its most basic description. A lot of gases are poured into the atmosphere as manufacturing is ever present. Then again if its a cycle, then its likely intertwined with some other system we have, perhaps to do with gaseous exchange with the ocean which leads to more statically charged gas in the atmosphere.