Article

Deaths and injuries caused by lightning in the United Kingdom: Analyses of two databases

January 2001
Atmospheric Research 56(1–4):325-334

Authors:

Oxford Brookes University

Two databases of incidents in which lightning struck people, either directly or indirectly, are examined. Analyses of TORRO's UK database of lightning injuries and deaths for the period from 1993 to 1999 reveal that, on average, 49 people are struck by lightning each year. Approximately one half of the lightning incidents affecting people happened inside a building, with one quarter of indoor incidents involving the telephone. The majority of all people struck by lightning experience only minor injuries. A minority suffer severe effects (e.g. full thickness burns and/or require resuscitation) and, on average, three people are killed each year. With a UK population of around 58.2 million the risk of being struck by lightning (indoors and outdoors combined) is one person in 1.2 million and the risk of being struck and killed by lightning is one person in 19 million. Expressed in a different way, the average annual number of people struck by lightning per million people is 0.84 and the average annual number of deaths caused by lightning per million people is 0.05. Based on records of the total number of cloud-to-ground lightning strikes, an incident in which one or more persons are struck by lightning occurs, on average, approximately every 12,000 strikes. A lightning incident in which someone is killed happens, on average, approximately every 100,000 strikes. All the fatalities during 1993 to 1999 occurred outdoors.Analyses of the number of lightning fatalities in England and Wales (in which 88% of the UK population live currently), as recorded on death certificates since 1852, reveal that lightning fatalities have fallen dramatically during the past century and a half. The annual average number of fatalities each half century has decreased from 19 for the period 1852 to 1899, through 12 for the period from 1900 to 1949, to five for the period 1950 to 1999. Males accounted for four out of every five deaths.

Lightning fatalities in Estonia, 1880–1940

Article

Full-text available

Oct 2021
NAT HAZARDS

The purpose of this study is to find out how many people died of lightning strikes in Estonia from 1880 to 1940. Data about lighting victims were mostly searched for in digitalised old newspapers. The journalistic reports were verified with the help of death records available in church registers. In addition, the data were verified using official statistics of the period. A total of 497 potential victims were reported from various sources. Of these, 349 deaths were considered reliable. This means that during the observed 61 years, an average of 5.2 people per year died in the Estonian region. As the number of fatalities may be underestimated, the actual number of victims could have been 7–8 per million inhabitants. The annual average number of fatalities remained practically unchanged during the period, but the share of women and deaths in buildings decreased to some degree. The sex and age structure of the victims corresponds well with the respective divisions of an agrarian society. The correlation analysis showed that the relationship between the number of lightning victims and the number of people living in the parish is high, as is the relationship with the area of the parish. However, the correlation with population density and land use is virtually non-existent.

Lightning Impacts in the United Kingdom and Ireland: Forty Years of the Tornado and Storm Research Organisation (TORRO)

Chapter

Full-text available

Jan 2016

Lightning is a significant weather hazard in the United Kingdom and Ireland. The research undertaken by the Tornado and Storm Research Organisation (TORRO) and the Thunderstorm Census Organisation (TCO, which was incorporated into TORRO in 1982) on lightning impacts on people, buildings, property, animals, trees, motor vehicles and aircraft is highlighted. Particular attention is given to the incidence and nature of injuries to people. Nearly half of those people experiencing an electrical shock due to lightning were indoors, and one-quarter were using a telephone at the time. However, indoor injuries were usually minor, while outdoor injuries were often serious. All of the deaths from lightning in the past 25 years have occurred outdoors. The annual number of lightning deaths is shown to have decreased markedly over the past century and a half, and the reasons for this are explored. Details of selected incidents of lightning impacts are provided. The continued need for individuals, groups and organisations to be aware of the risks posed by lightning is highlighted.

Lightning fatalities and injuries in Malaysia from 2008 to 2015

Conference Paper

Sep 2016

This study examined the risk of lightning-related deaths and injuries in Malaysia between January of 2008 to July 2015. The majority of lightning-related injuries and fatalities occurred during the months of April and May. Most lightning related casualties reported in the statistics since 2008 occurred in the states of Melaka and Selangor in the western coastal belt. The majority of victims, were engaged in outdoor and sports activities when injured or killed by lightning incidents.

Natural hazard fatalities in Switzerland from 1946 to 2015

Article

Full-text available

Dec 2016

A database of fatalities caused by natural hazard processes in Switzerland was compiled for the period between 1946 and 2015. Using information from the Swiss flood and landslide damage database and the Swiss destructive avalanche database, the data set was extended back in time and more hazard processes were added by conducting an in-depth search of newspaper reports. The new database now covers all natural hazards common in Switzerland, categorised into seven process types: flood, landslide, rockfall, lightning, windstorm, avalanche and other processes (e.g. ice avalanches, earthquakes). Included were all fatal accidents associated with natural hazard processes in which victims did not expose themselves to an important danger on purpose. The database contains information on 635 natural hazard events causing 1023 fatalities, which corresponds to a mean of 14.6 victims per year. The most common causes of death were snow avalanches (37 %), followed by lightning (16 %), floods (12 %), windstorms (10 %), rockfall (8 %), landslides (7 %) and other processes (9 %). About 50 % of all victims died in one of the 507 single-fatality events; the other half were killed in the 128 multi-fatality events. The number of natural hazard fatalities that occurred annually during our 70-year study period ranged from 2 to 112 and exhibited a distinct decrease over time. While the number of victims in the first three decades (until 1975) ranged from 191 to 269 per decade, it ranged from 47 to 109 in the four following decades. This overall decrease was mainly driven by a considerable decline in the number of avalanche and lightning fatalities. About 75 % of victims were males in all natural hazard events considered together, and this ratio was roughly maintained in all individual process categories except landslides (lower) and other processes (higher). The ratio of male to female victims was most likely to be balanced when deaths occurred at home (in or near a building), a situation that mainly occurred in association with landslides and avalanches. The average age of victims of natural hazards was 35.9 years and, accordingly, the age groups with the largest number of victims were the 20–29 and 30–39 year-old groups, which in combination represented 34 % of all fatalities. It appears that the overall natural hazard mortality rate in Switzerland over the past 70 years has been relatively low in comparison to rates in other countries or rates of other types of fatal accidents in Switzerland. However, a large variability in mortality rates was observed within the country with considerably higher rates in Alpine environments.

Characteristic and Relevant Factors Analysis of Lightning Disaster in Hainan Island

Conference Paper

Jan 2015

Lightning Fatalities and Injuries in Bangladesh from 1990 through 2017

Conference Paper

Full-text available

May 2018

National summaries of lightning-related deaths and injuries are very difficult to obtain in many developing countries. For Bangladesh, Dewan et al. [2017] identified 3,086 fatalities and 2,382 injuries from 1990 to mid-2016, for annual averages of 114 fatalities and 89 injuries over the entire period. This paper updates Dewan et al. (2017) with another 18 months of recent data through 2017. The latest eight years have a fatality rate of 2.08 per million people per year and injury rate of 1.7. The rural attribution is 93%, the majority of deaths occur to males, and farming is the major activity. An increase since the late 2000s in part results from greatly improved communications leading to better media reporting of casualties because of a major increase in cellular telephone usage. The totals from 2010 to 2017 of 260 fatalities and 211 injuries per year may be considered as the current estimate.

Distribution of Lightning Casualties over Maharashtra, India

Article

Full-text available

Sep 2017

This study investigates human casualties as a result of lightning strikes in Maharashtra state of India. Records dating from 1979 to 2011 have reported about 2363 casualties resulting from 455 lightning events. On an average 72 casualties per year have been reported with significant increasing trend. About 51 per cent events and 46 per cent casualties have occurred only in six districts of Nagpur, Chandrapur, Yavatmal, Nashik, Amravati and Akola. Remarkably, Vidarbha region has reported about 4 times more lightning events and about 3 times more casualties than second highest Marathwada region. The lightning events and casualties rate per million population per year in the state has been found to be 0.15 and 0.82, respectively. Male casualties are more prominent than females and children, which is probably due to the larger proportion of males performing their work outdoors. The peak lightning events and casualties have been witnessed during the monsoon season, whereas lowest during winters. It is believed that the results of this study will be helpful in developing better disaster management guidelines for lightning safety and preparedness. Apt audio-video presentations would help in better education of vulnerable segments of our society, farmers and daily wage earners present in the rural environment.

Recent Lightning-Related Fatalities and Injuries in Bangladesh

Article

Jul 2017

A database of lightning-related deaths and injuries in Bangladesh was developed from 1990 to mid-2016 from a variety of sources that contains a total of 5,468 casualties, comprised of 3,086 fatalities and 2,382 injuries. Spatial, temporal, and demographic aspects of these lightning casualties are evaluated in order to aid relevant entities in effective management of lightning-related meteorological hazards. The annual averages for Bangladesh are 114 fatalities and 89 injuries over the entire period. Weighting by population reveals a fatality rate of 0.92 per million people per year and an injury rate of 0.71. In contrast, the latest six years have a fatality rate of 1.6 and injury rate of 1.4. The rural portion of lightning fatalities is 93%. Most fatalities occurred between early morning (0600 LST) and early evening (2000). Through the year, more fatalities occur during the pre-monsoon season of March through May than during the monsoon season (June – September). The inter-annual time series of fatalities indicates an increase since the late 2000s which is a result of greatly improved communications leading to better media reporting of lightning casualties. Bangladesh has also become much more populous in recent years. As a result, the most recent six years have 251 fatalities per year that may be considered as the current estimate. The majority of lightning-related deaths occurred to males. Farming is the major activity at the time of lightning fatalities, followed by being inside a dwelling, and returning home or walking around homesteads/courtyards.

The characteristics of lightning risk and zoning in Beijing simulated by a risk assessment model

Article

Full-text available

Aug 2014

In this study, the cloud-to-ground (CG) lightning flash/stroke density was derived from the lightning location finder (LLF) data recorded between 2007 and 2011. The vulnerability of land surfaces was then assessed from the classification of the study areas into buildings, outdoor areas under the building canopy and open-field areas, which makes it convenient to deduce the location factor and confirm the protective capability. Subsequently, the potential number of dangerous lightning events at a location could be estimated from the product of the CG stroke density and the location's vulnerability. Although the human beings and all their material properties are identically exposed to lightning, the lightning casualty risk and property loss risk was assessed respectively due to their vulnerability discrepancy. Our analysis of the CG flash density in Beijing revealed that the valley of JuMaHe to the southwest, the ChangPing–ShunYi zone downwind of the Beijing metropolis, and the mountainous PingGu–MiYun zone near the coast are the most active lightning areas, with densities greater than 1.5 flashes km−2 year−1. Moreover, the mountainous northeastern, northern, and northwestern rural areas are relatively more vulnerable to lightning because the high-elevation terrain attracts lightning and there is little protection. In contrast, lightning incidents by induced lightning are most likely to occur in densely populated urban areas, and the property damage caused by lightning here is more extensive than that in suburban and rural areas. However, casualty incidents caused by direct lightning strokes seldom occur in urban areas. On the other hand, the simulation based on the lightning risk assessment model (LRAM) demonstrates that the casualty risk is higher in rural areas, whereas the property loss risk is higher in urban areas, and this conclusion is also supported by the historical casualty and damage reports.

Secondary ice production during the break-up of freezing water drops on impact with ice particles

Article

Full-text available

Dec 2021
ATMOS CHEM PHYS

We provide the first dedicated laboratory study of collisions of supercooled water drops with ice particles as a secondary ice production mechanism. We experimentally investigated collisions of supercooled water drops (∼ 5 mm in diameter) with ice particles of a similar size (∼ 6 mm in diameter) placed on a glass slide at temperatures >-12 ∘C. Our results showed that secondary drops were generated during both the spreading and retraction phase of the supercooled water drop impact. The secondary drops generated during the spreading phase were emitted too fast to quantify. However, quantification of the secondary drops generated during the retraction phase with diameters >0.1 mm showed that 5–10 secondary drops formed per collision, with approximately 30 % of the secondary drops freezing over a temperature range between −4 and −12 ∘C. Our results suggest that this secondary ice production mechanism may be significant for ice formation in atmospheric clouds containing large supercooled drops and ice particles.

Exploring Relationships Between Weather Patterns and Observed Lightning Activity for Britain and Ireland

Article

Full-text available

May 2021

To understand the climatology of lightning affecting Britain and Ireland and to investigate the large‐scale environments which produce lightning in this region, relationships between mean sea‐level pressure (MSLP) patterns and thunderstorm occurrence are investigated. Using daily data between 2010 and 2019, instances of lightning activity are examined against a set of thirty pre‐defined weather patterns based on MSLP. Metrics relating to thunder area, thunder intensity and duration are introduced and evaluated on the data set. The results show that in summer, the largest and long‐lived lightning outbreaks can be linked to three weather patterns. Two of these have strong southerly flow affecting the domain of study. The third is a low pressure system centred over the UK with weak pressure gradient, which also produces larger lightning outbreaks during the autumn. In the wintertime, lightning outbreaks appear associated with deeper low pressure systems, higher pressure gradients and strong winds in four dominant weather patterns. In spring, lightning occurs mostly in smaller systems and can be of multiple weather patterns. It is hypothesized that the weather pattern number is a good predictor of atmospheric instability. Cases where lightning activity does not match the expected behaviour for a given weather pattern are thought to be due to anomalies or variation in atmospheric instability, Several applications of this work are also discussed, including looking at thunder days over the study domain in past and future climate scenarios.

Fatalities associated with the severe weather conditions in the Czech Republic, 2000–2019

Article

Full-text available

May 2021
NAT HAZARD EARTH SYS

This paper presents an analysis of fatalities attributable to weather conditions in the Czech Republic during the 2000–2019 period. The database of fatalities deployed contains information extracted from Právo, a leading daily newspaper, and Novinky.cz, its internet equivalent, supplemented by a number of other documentary sources. The analysis is performed for floods, windstorms, convective storms, rain, snow, glaze ice, frost, heat, and fog. For each of them, the associated fatalities are investigated in terms of annual frequencies, trends, annual variation, spatial distribution, cause, type, place, and time as well as the sex, age, and behaviour of casualties. There were 1164 weather-related fatalities during the 2000–2019 study period, exhibiting a statistically significant falling trend. Those attributable to frost (31 %) predominated, followed by glaze ice, rain, and snow. Fatalities were at their maximum in January and December and at their minimum in April and September. Fatalities arising out of vehicle accidents (48 %) predominated in terms of structure, followed by freezing or hypothermia (30 %). Most deaths occurred during the night. Adults (65 %) and males (72 %) accounted for the majority of fatalities, while indirect fatalities were more frequent than direct ones (55 % to 45 %). Hazardous behaviour accounted for 76 %. According to the database of the Czech Statistical Office, deaths caused by exposure to excessive natural cold are markedly predominant among five selected groups of weather-related fatalities, and their numbers exhibit a statistically significant rise during 2000–2019. Police yearbooks of the fatalities arising out of vehicle accidents indicate significantly decreasing trends in the frequency of inclement weather patterns associated with fatal accidents as well as a decrease in their percentage in annual numbers of fatalities. The discussion of results includes the problems of data uncertainty, comparison of different data sources, and the broader context.

On the association of lightning activity and projected change in climate over the Indian sub-continent

Article

Sep 2016

The association of lightning activity with the long-term as well as seasonal spatio-temporal distribution of con-vective available potential energy (CAPE), surface convective precipitation, vegetation cover and anthropogenic aerosol loading over the Indian sub-continent has been studied for the period 2000-2014. The northeast to northwest arc including the foothills of the Himalayas is the primary seats of lightning occurrences. The correlations of lightning activity with each of aerosol loading, vegetation cover, convective instability and convective precipitation helps us in understanding the definite entity that is responsible for changing the lightning activity in different parts of this tropical region. Lightning flash rate (LFR) has significant positive correlations (r~0.5-0.7) with AOD, CAPE and surface convective precipitation but significant negative correlation (r~−0.4) with Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI). Using global circulation models from the Climate Model Intercompar-ison Project Phase 5 (CMIP5), time-series of observed and projected upper tropospheric water vapor, surface convective precipitation and aerosol optical depth (AOD) from the historical simulations (1996-2005) and RCP8.5 emission scenario (2036-2045) are analyzed over the Indian region that are vulnerable to climate change in terms of occurrence of convective events and associated hazardous lightning phenomena. This study indicates that upper tropospheric water vapor (300 hPa) has a significant linkage with the lightning occurrences associated with convective activities and strong updraft. During the mid-21st century, AOD, surface convective precipitation and specific humidity are projected to increase by 1.42%, 2.01% and 1.40%, respectively which may result in regional changes in lightning activity over the Indian sub-continent.

Modeling on the spatial vulnerability of lightning disaster in Bangladesh using GIS and IDW techniques

Article

Full-text available

Jan 2020

This paper tries to explore the spatial patterns of lightning disaster death susceptibility in Bangladesh. It is prior need to identify the factors of death due to lightning hazard, seasonal variability, and spatial risks to develop management strategies of this country. To reach the study goal, lightning fatalities data were collected from the Ministry of Disaster Management and Relief, Bangladesh. The geostatistical IDW model of GIS technology was applied to assess the spatial vulnerability of lightning disaster. The geospatial prediction maps produced from the study determines the spatial heterogeneity of lightning risk. Generated statistics demonstrates that the Surma Basin, northwest Brinda tract, and northern Tertiary hilly region of Bangladesh are more susceptible to lightning disaster during the time span 2015–2018. Analysis results also discloses numerous factors such as climatic variability, geomorphological diverseness and anthropogenic phenomena influencing lightning catastrophes. Moreover, this study suggests that government and non-government disaster management organizations can play vital role to take initiative in risk assess, policy creation review, awareness building and campaign, community-based early warning system, emergency management system and appropriate technology piloting as well as implementation. The rationale of this study will contribute to assess spatial lightning strikes, mitigate locational vulnerability and promote sustainable development plans for reducing lightning disaster risk. In the future, GIS-based communication model like this can applied to raise awareness and educating and engaging the public through public–private partnership of the lightning hot spot regions.

Lightning Caused Multiple Deaths: Lethality of Taking Shelter in Unprotected Buildings

Conference Paper

Oct 2019

Lightning affects human beings and animals through several mechanisms of which direct strikes are referred as the most lethal. However, our investigations show that a clear majority of multiple lightning deaths by a single ground flash has been occurred while the victims were inside structures, where injury due to direct strikes is impossible. This study analyses the electric field distribution of a lightning struck unprotected building, during the return stroke current phase. The outcomes depict that the field enhancement at the head level of the occupants at various locations inside the structure is large enough to attract arcing from either the roof or the walls. The field enhancement strongly depends on the type of lightning current and the materials of the roofing and walls. For the simulation of lightning current waveforms and distribution of electrical fields and potentials, MatLab and ANSYS Maxwell software has been used. Consequently, the paper emphasizes the need for implementing low-cost protection schemes in underprivileged societies in regions of high lightning density to minimize the casualties.

Potential of Documentary Evidence to Study Fatalities of Hydrological and Meteorological Events in the Czech Republic

Article

Full-text available

Sep 2019

This paper presents the potential of documentary evidence for enhancing the study of fatalities taking place in the course of hydrological and meteorological events (HMEs). Chronicles, “books of memory”, weather diaries, newspapers (media), parliamentary proposals, epigraphic evidence, systematic meteorological/hydrological observations, and professional papers provide a broad base for gathering such information in the Czech Republic, especially since 1901. The spatiotemporal variability of 269 fatalities in the Czech Republic arising out of 103 HMEs (flood, flash flood, windstorm, convective storm, lightning, frost, snow/glaze-ice calamity, heat, and other events) in the 1981–2018 period is presented, with particular attention to closer characterisation of fatalities (gender, age, cause of death, place, type of death, and behaviour). Examples of three outstanding events with the highest numbers of fatalities (severe frosts in the extremely cold winter of 1928/1929, a flash flood on 9 June 1970, and a rain flood in July 1997) are described in detail. Discussion of results includes the problem of data uncertainty, factors influencing the numbers of fatalities, and the broader context. Since floods are responsible for the highest proportion of HME-related deaths, places with fatalities are located mainly around rivers and drowning appears as the main cause of death. In the further classification of fatalities, males and adults clearly prevail, while indirect victims and hazardous behaviour are strongly represented.

Measurement and analysis of partial lightning currents in a head phantom

Article

Full-text available

Sep 2019
PLOS ONE

Direct lightning strikes to the human head can lead to various effects, ranging from burnings to death. The biological and physical mechanisms of a direct lightning strike in the human head are not well understood. The aim of this paper is to design an experimental setup to measure the spatial and temporal current distribution during a direct lightning strike to physical head phantoms to establish normative values for personal lightning protection equipment design and testing. We created head phantoms made of agarose, replicating the geometric and dielectric properties of scalp, skull, and intracranial volume. The bases of the three compartments were galvanically contacted via copper electrodes to measure the current per compartment. We used pulse generators to apply aperiodic voltage and current signals that modelled lightning components. Our experiments indicated that the scalp compartment was exposed to the current with a fraction of 80–90%. The brain and skull compartments were exposed between 6–13% and 3–6% of the total measured current respectively. In case of a flashover, most of the current (98–99%) flowed through the discharge channel. Unlike previous theoretical estimates and measurements in technical setups, we observed considerably longer times for the flashover to build up. In our experiments, the time to build up a fully formed flashover varied from approximately 30–700 μs. The observed current patterns in cases without and with flashover provided information on regions of possible damage in the human head. Consequently, we identified the phenomenon of a flashover as a potential mechanism for humans to survive a lightning strike. Our measured current distributions and amplitudes formed the base for normative values, which can be used in later experimental investigations regarding the possibilities of individual lightning protection equipment for humans.

Spatio-temporal and demographic distribution of lightning related casualties in northeastern part of Bangladesh

Article

May 2019

Lightning is one of the frequent catastrophic hazards to people and properties across the world. Bangladesh is one of the major lightning prone countries in the world. Information regarding the spatial, temporal and demographic distribution of lightning casualties is required to develop mitigation policies to minimize the impacts of lightning. This study aims to analyse the spatial, temporal and demographic distribution of lightning-related casualties in the northeastern part of Bangladesh from 2016 to 2018. The database of lightning casualties was developed from a variety of sources including government and private agencies. Records dating from 2016 to 2018 indicate that about 78 and 60 people have been killed and injured, respectively by lightning strikes. The highest number of lightning fatalities were reported in the districts of Kishoreganj (31%), Habiganj (18%) and Sunamganj (15%). The overall fatality rate is 1.76 per million people per year, and fatality density rate is 0.00388 per million people km−2 year−1. The majority of fatalities and injuries occurred within the early morning 0800 and early evening 1700 at local time. The number of fatalities was higher in April–May during the pre-monsoon season. The maximum number of people died by lightning during farming activities, followed by fishing, boating or bathing in water bodies. The findings of the study are highly beneficial to the administrator and policymakers to develop lightning mitigation plans, improve public awareness and lightning safety campaign to reduce the impacts of lightning hazards.

Lightning Myths versus Science Facts: Traditional Beliefs on Thunderstorm among Rwandans

Article

Full-text available

Apr 2019

The paper aimed at revealing lightning myths and traditional beliefs among Rwandans. It provides an overview of their feelings, opinions, and worries as well as facts on thunderstorms using summative-written text and focus-group discussion where about 315 people participated in this research. The conception of the thunder in Rwandan culture was found different from the one we learn from Physics class. For instance, in this study, we found that more traditional beliefs are found in old and non-educated people. Even though some traces are found in intellectuals, however, they are overcome as they become more educated. Though it is believed that witch doctors can traditionally use the term 'thunder' attributed in their activities as the same lightning phenomenon, this occurs in unplanned time and situation, striking their so-called “own enemies”. Overcoming the worries related to traditional beliefs using scientific researchers’ testimonies and safety were also discussed. For instance, though none can be totally safe from a lightning hit, prevention strategies can lessen risks. Thus, avoidance oflightning damage should be an individual duty and everyone should know daily local weather predictions and harmful consequences. Key words: thunderstorm, lightning myths, traditional beliefs, a witch doctor

Modeling lightning density using cloud top parameters

Article

Feb 2019
ATMOS RES

The Price-Rind 92 parameterization (Price and Rind, 1992) that utilizes cloud top height as predictor for the estimation of lightning density is widely used by modelers in an attempt to forecast electrical activity in thunderstorms. In the present paper new parameterizations for the estimation of lightning density of convective clouds are formulated. LINET lightning data, NWC SAF (Satellite Application Facility on support to Nowcasting and Very Short-Range Forecasting) products and ERA-Interim (ECMWF-Re Analysis) data, covering the summer of 2016 over continental Europe, are used. The proposed models estimate the lightning density of convective clouds, using cloud top height, cloud top pressure and cold cloud depth as predictors. Model efficiency statistics calculated over an independent dataset, suggest that the proposed models can be considered successful over the specific area (continental Europe) and period (summer). The new cloud top height model differs from the PR92 and other parameterizations, which is not an unexpected result, since every model has its own characteristics, strengths and weaknesses. The new parameterizations could be utilized in numerical model simulations to produce quantitative estimations of the amount of strokes over convective areas.

Traumatic perforations of tympanic membrane: our experience

Article

Full-text available

Dec 2018

p class="abstract"> Background: The aim of the study was to evaluate various etiological factors, clinical presentation in patients presenting with Traumatic ear perforations. Methods: 27 patients were taken in our study who reported within two weeks of history of trauma with no previous history of middle ear pathology. Data was collected and patients were treated. Results: 27 patients were studied (11 males and 16 females); age ranging from 15 years to 56 years. Laterality of trauma was found to be more in left ear. Aural Fullness & pain in ear were the most common presenting complaints. Most common etiology was found to be assault and poster inferior quadrant was found to be most commonly involved. Conclusions: Traumatic perforations have a very good prognosis if they are treated at the right time. We would also like to stress on the fact that domestic violence is still prevalent in our society leading to patients of traumatic perforation. </p

Thunderstorm frequency distribution and associated convective mechanisms over Pakistan

Article

Full-text available

Jul 2019
THEOR APPL CLIMATOL

This study investigates the frequency distribution of thunderstorm activity over Pakistan via the analysis of two convective parameters, i.e., convective available potential energy (CAPE) and convective inhibition (CIN). The climatology and trends of thunderstorm frequency, CAPE, and CIN have been analyzed, based on seasonal and annual timescales, by using station and reanalysis datasets. Thirty-eight years (1979–2016) data of monthly thunderstorm days for 54 meteorological stations, well-distributed over the country, have been utilized in this study. Those meteorological stations which constitute core region of thunderstorm frequency are identified. Our analysis showed that the mountainous and sub-mountainous areas of Pakistan, particularly in upper half of the country, are at the top with the maximum thunderstorm activity on both seasonal and annual timescales. Pre-monsoon (April–June) and monsoon (July–September) are most vulnerable seasons to the development of thunderstorms. It is also observed that most of the stations exhibit an increase in the thunderstorm days during winter (December–March) and decrease during pre-monsoon, monsoon, and post-monsoon (October–November) seasons. Interestingly, core regions of CAPE and thunderstorm frequency almost coincide with region of low CIN. However, trends in CAPE do not explain the variability and trends of thunderstorm frequency over the whole study area explicitly. At some stations, trends in CAPE are increasing in contrast to thunderstorm frequency trends. We showed, in particular, that the increasing trend of CIN is a likely reason for decreasing trends of thunderstorm frequency over Pakistan. In total, 17 stations are identified to be the most vulnerable to thunderstorm activity over the country.

Spatio-temporal variability of lightning activity over J&K region and its relationship with topography, vegetation cover, and absorbing aerosol index (AAI)

Article

Aug 2018
J ATMOS SOL-TERR PHY

Spatio-temporal variation of lightning activity over the Jammu and Kashmir province has been studied in the present research using LIS data for the period of 12 years (2001–2013). In addition, the association of lightning activity with the elevation range, vegetation cover, and absorbing aerosol index (AAI) has been studied using the LULC data of MODIS, elevation data of SRTM DEM and multi-sensor AAI data (GOME-1, SCIAMACHY, GOME-2 and OMI). It was observed through the analysis of data sets that the J&K region which lies in the Himalayan range experiences very high frequency of lightning occurrences in entire India. The lightning frequency is much higher towards the south-western side of J&K region at an altitude range of 300–1600 m. It was observed that the mixed forests and croplands contribute more towards the higher occurrence of the lightning activity. Furthermore, it has been discerned that there is a positive correlation between the Mean Monthly flash density (FD) and Mean Monthly Absorbing aerosol index (AAI) with a correlation coefficient of 0.61 and an increase in FD and AAI was observed in summer months and decreases towards the onset of spring to winter. The comparison between the AAI and FD indicates that the spatial distribution of the two components has alike features over southwestern portion, with maximum values in the summer months and decrease upto the winter season. The findings of the present study suggest that the elevation range, Absorbing Aerosol Index along with the type of LULC plays an important role in a linkage with the occurrence of higher lightning activities in J&K region.

Remote sensing of the lightning heating effect duration with ground-based microwave radiometer

Article

Feb 2018
ATMOS RES

Cardiac Effects of Lightning Strikes

Article

Full-text available

Aug 2017

Lightning strikes are a common and leading cause of morbidity and mortality. Multiple organ systems can be involved, though the effects of the electrical current on the cardiovascular system are one of the main modes leading to cardiorespiratory arrest in these patients. Cardiac effects of lightning strikes can be transient or persistent, and include benign or life-threatening arrhythmias, inappropriate therapies from cardiac implantable electronic devices, cardiac ischaemia, myocardial contusion, pericardial disease, aortic injury, as well as cardiomyopathy with associated ventricular failure. Prolonged resuscitation can lead to favourable outcomes especially in young and previously healthy victims.

Spatial and temporal variations in thunderstorm casualties over India

Article

Jun 2017

An autopsy series: Lightning-related deaths in Van and Hakkâri provinces, Turkey. [Bir otopsi dizisi: Türkiye'nin Van ve Hakkâri illerinde yıldırımla bağlantılı ölümler - ENGLISH].

Article

Mar 2021
W INDIAN MED J

ABSTRACT: Objective: To report the largest series of lightning-related deaths in Turkey, to review the literature on this subject, and to identify similarities and differences between the autopsy findings in this study and the information available in literature. Methods: In this study, autopsy reports and crime scene investigation data on 11 lightningrelated fatalities that occurred in the Van and Hakkâri Provinces, Turkey, from January 1, 2011 to December 31, 2015 were retrospectively reviewed.Results: Of the 1699 fatalities, 11 (2.53%) evaluated by medico-legal autopsy in the Van and Hakkâri Province in a 5-year period died from lightning strikes. Of these cases, 10 (90.1%) were males and 1 (9.9%) was female (p < 0.05). All cases were in the 11 to 33 years age group. All cases were injured outdoors. Conclusion: We concluded that deaths due to lightning strikes are relatively rare in Turkey, and may be reduced with precautions such as avoiding staying under trees or in the vicinity of high towers, refraining from touching metal objects, avoiding lying on the ground, leaning on walls, and crouching outdoors. ****************************************************************************************************************************************************** ÖZET: Amaç: Türkiye'deki en büyük yıldırım kaynaklı ölüm serilerini raporlamak, bu konudaki literatürü gözden geçirmek ve bu çalışmadaki otopsi bulguları ile literatürdeki bilgiler arasındaki benzerlik ve farklılıkları belirlemek. Yöntemler: Bu çalışmada, Türkiye'nin Van ve Hakkâri illerinde 1 Ocak 2011-31 Aralık 2015 tarihleri arasında yıldırım düşmesi sonucu meydana gelen 11 ölüm vakasına ilişkin otopsi raporları ve olay yeri inceleme verileri geriye dönük olarak incelendi. Sonuçlar: 1699 ölümden 11'i Van ve Hakkâri'de 5 yıllık süreçte adli otopsi ile değerlendirilen (%2.53) yıldırım çarpması sonucu yaşamını yitirdi. Bu olguların 10'u (%90.1) erkek, 1'i (%9.9) kadındı (p < 0.05). Tüm olgular 11-33 yaş grubundaydı. Tüm vakalar açık havada yaralandı. Sonuç: Türkiye'de yıldırım çarpmasına bağlı ölümlerin nispeten nadir olduğu ve ağaçların altında veya yüksek kulelerin yakınında kalmamak, metal nesnelere dokunmaktan kaçınmak, yere yatmaktan kaçınmak, yaslanmaktan kaçınmak, duvarlar ve dışarıda çömelme gibi önlemlerle azaltılabileceği sonucuna vardık.

Conference Paper

Full-text available

Sep 2016

Lightning related casualties collected by the Institute of Meteorology in Mongolia from 2003 to 2015 have been analyzed. Being a country with one of the lowest population density, Mongolia records a relatively high human death rate per unit population per year, 15.4 dptm yr −1 , which is much higher than that of many countries with similar isokeraunic level. During this period 57 deaths and 58 injuries have been reported, thus death to injury ratio is nearly 1:1. Around 88% of both deaths and injuries has been reported to be occurred while the victim is in wild area, typically the low-grown slopes in steppe climate. Other 12% of the death and injury cases have been located either in open spaces within the village or inside the fabric enclosed houses known as ger. Nearly 80% of the gender-known deaths are of males. Almost 100% of the deaths of which the time of incident is known has happened between noon and midnight. Almost all case of injuries have also been reported during the same period. About 80% of the age-reported deaths were of people below 30 years. Slightly more than 50% of the deaths and 54% of the injuries have been reported from Central province.

A Unusual Lightning Death in an Indoor Setting: A Case Report

Article

Full-text available

Nov 2016
AM J FOREN MED PATH

Death due to lightning strikes is infrequent, above all indoors. Some cases may take on a medical legal interest due to the unusual and uncommon circumstances in which they occur. The authors report an extremely rare case of electrocution occurred inside a house in a rural area. A 53-year-old man was reached by an electrical discharge originating from lightning while he was doing renovation work on a cottage. In this case, the correct interpretation of the autopsy and histological aspects and the attentive analysis of the circumstantial and environmental data led to the correct diagnosis of death and to the reconstruction of the dynamics with which it occurred. It was in fact possible to reconstruct that during a violent thunderstorm, lightning, discharging from the bottom upward formed an electric arc. The victim, who was close to metal objects (sawhorses), was struck on the left foot and the current exited from the right hand passing through the heart causing immediate death.

Investigation of isolated thunderstorms lightning activity over eastern Mediterranean using Meteosat rapid scan infrared imagery

Article

Full-text available

Sep 2016
INT J REMOTE SENS

An analysis of selected spatiotemporal characteristics of isolated thunderstorms in relation to cloud-to-ground (CG) lightning over part of the eastern Mediterranean is performed. The purpose of the study is twofold: to better understand and improve the basic knowledge of the physical mechanisms of the phenomenon and to offer new means of nowcasting the lightning activity in such thunderstorms. Meteosat Second Generation (MSG) Rapid Scan Service (RSS) infrared imagery which offers the option of tracking the examined storms with a time frequency of 5 minutes is one of the two utilized datasets, the other being ZEUS very low frequency (VLF) lightning detection system’s CG discharge data. It was shown that a cloud top temperature of about −20°C is required for the onset of lightning activity. A rapid drop of the cloud-top temperature of about 11°C in 5 minutes on average is observed a few minutes before or during lightning initiation. The maximization of the activity is usually quite close to the overall minimum cloud-top temperature of the cell. A temperature increase of 3.5°C from this overall minimum can mark the end of the activity, which is also associated to the time evolution of the cell’s horizontal extent. In fact, after the cell’s horizontal area stops to increase and/or starts to gradually diminish, CG lightning activity is expected to stop.

On the association of lightning activity and projected change in climate over the Indian sub-continent

Article

Sep 2016
ATMOS RES

The association of lightning activity with the long-term as well as seasonal spatio-temporal distribution of convective available potential energy (CAPE), surface convective precipitation, vegetation cover and anthropogenic aerosol loading over the Indian sub-continent has been studied for the period 2000–2014. The north-east to north-west arc including the foothills of the Himalayas is the primary seats of lightning occurrences. The correlations of lightning activity with each of aerosol loading, vegetation cover, convective instability and convective precipitation helps us in understanding the definite entity that is responsible for changing the lightning activity in different parts of this tropical region. Lightning flash rate (LFR) has significant positive correlations (r ~0.5–0.7) with AOD, CAPE and surface convective precipitation but significant negative correlation (r ~−0.4)with Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI). Using global circulation models from the Climate Model Intercomparison Project Phase 5 (CMIP5), time-series of observed and projected upper tropospheric water vapor, surface convective precipitation and aerosol optical depth (AOD) from the historical simulations (1996–2005) and RCP8.5 emission scenario (2036–2045) are analyzed over the Indian region that are vulnerable to climate change in terms of occurrence of convective events and associated hazardous lightning phenomena. This study indicates that upper troposphericwater vapor (300 hPa) has a significant linkage with the lightning occurrences associated with convective activities and strong updraft. During the mid- 21st century, AOD, surface convective precipitation and specific humidity are projected to increase by 1.42%, 2.01% and 1.40%, respectively which may result in regional changes in lightning activity over the Indian sub-continent.

On the association of lightning activity and projected change in climate over the Indian sub-continent

Article

Jan 2017
ATMOS RES

The association of lightning activity with the long-term as well as seasonal spatio-temporal distribution of convective available potential energy (CAPE), surface convective precipitation, vegetation cover and anthropogenic aerosol loading over the Indian sub-continent has been studied for the period 2000–2014. The north-east to north-west arc including the foothills of the Himalayas is the primary seats of lightning occurrences. The correlations of lightning activity with each of aerosol loading, vegetation cover, convective instability and convective precipitation helps us in understanding the definite entity that is responsible for changing the lightning activity in different parts of this tropical region. Lightning flash rate (LFR) has significant positive correlations (r ~ 0.5–0.7) with AOD, CAPE and surface convective precipitation but significant negative correlation (r ~− 0.4) with Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI). Using global circulation models from the Climate Model Intercomparison Project Phase 5 (CMIP5), time-series of observed and projected upper tropospheric water vapor, surface convective precipitation and aerosol optical depth (AOD) from the historical simulations (1996–2005) and RCP8.5 emission scenario (2036–2045) are analyzed over the Indian region that are vulnerable to climate change in terms of occurrence of convective events and associated hazardous lightning phenomena. This study indicates that upper tropospheric water vapor (300 hPa) has a significant linkage with the lightning occurrences associated with convective activities and strong updraft. During the mid- 21st century, AOD, surface convective precipitation and specific humidity are projected to increase by 1.42%, 2.01% and 1.40%, respectively which may result in regional changes in lightning activity over the Indian sub-continent.

On the association of lightning activity and projected change in climate over the Indian sub-continent

Article

Sep 2016
ATMOS RES

The association of lightning activity with the long-term as well as seasonal spatio-temporal distribution of convective available potential energy (CAPE), surface convective precipitation, vegetation cover and anthropogenic aerosol loading over the Indian sub-continent has been studied for the period 2000–2014. The north-east to north-west arc including the foothills of the Himalayas is the primary seats of lightning occurrences. The correlations of lightning activity with each of aerosol loading, vegetation cover, convective instability and convective precipitation helps us in understanding the definite entity that is responsible for changing the lightning activity in different parts of this tropical region. Lightning flash rate (LFR) has significant positive correlations (r ~ 0.5–0.7) with AOD, CAPE and surface convective precipitation but significant negative correlation (r ~− 0.4) with Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI). Using global circulation models from the Climate Model Intercomparison Project Phase 5 (CMIP5), time-series of observed and projected upper tropospheric water vapor, surface convective precipitation and aerosol optical depth (AOD) from the historical simulations (1996–2005) and RCP8.5 emission scenario (2036–2045) are analyzed over the Indian region that are vulnerable to climate change in terms of occurrence of convective events and associated hazardous lightning phenomena. This study indicates that upper tropospheric water vapor (300 hPa) has a significant linkage with the lightning occurrences associated with convective activities and strong updraft. During the mid- 21st century, AOD, surface convective precipitation and specific humidity are projected to increase by 1.42%, 2.01% and 1.40%, respectively which may result in regional changes in lightning activity over the Indian sub-continent.

On the association of lightning activity and projected change in climate over the Indian sub-continent

Article

Jan 2017
ATMOS RES

The association of lightning activity with the long-term as well as seasonal spatio-temporal distribution of convective available potential energy (CAPE), surface convective precipitation, vegetation cover and anthropogenic aerosol loading over the Indian sub-continent has been studied for the period 2000-2014. The northeast to northwest arc including the foothills of the Himalayas is the primary seats of lightning occurrences. The correlations of lightning activity with each of aerosol loading, vegetation cover, convective instability and convective precipitation helps us in understanding the definite entity that is responsible for changing the lightning activity in different parts of this tropical region. Lightning flash rate (LFR) has significant positive correlations (r ~ 0.5-0.7) with AOD, CAPE and surface convective precipitation but significant negative correlation (r ~-0.4) with Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI). Using global circulation models from the Climate Model Intercomparison Project Phase 5 (CMIP5), time-series of observed and projected upper tropospheric water vapor, surface convective precipitation and aerosol optical depth (AOD) from the historical simulations (1996-2005) and RCP8.5 emission scenario (2036-2045) are analyzed over the Indian region that are vulnerable to climate change in terms of occurrence of convective events and associated hazardous lightning phenomena. This study indicates that upper tropospheric water vapor (300 hPa) has a significant linkage with the lightning occurrences associated with convective activities and strong updraft. During the mid-21st century, AOD, surface convective precipitation and specific humidity are projected to increase by 1.42%, 2.01% and 1.40%, respectively which may result in regional changes in lightning activity over the Indian sub-continent.

An overview of the global statistics on lightning fatalities

Article

Full-text available

Jan 2010

Recent statistics on lightning fatalities in Malaysia

Conference Paper

Jan 2012

An autopsy series: lightning-related deaths in Van and Hakkari Provinces (poster presentation). [Bir otopsi dizisi: Van ve Hakkari illerinde yıldırımla bağlantılı ölümler (poster bildiri) - ENGLISH]

Poster

Full-text available

May 2016

ABSTRACT: Lightning is one of nature’s most deadly incidents and, the number of lightning strikes in a day is approximately eight million on Earth. The aims of this article are to report largest series of lightning-related deaths in Turkey, to review the literature about this subject, to define similarities and differences, between autopsy findings of the presented series and literature information. In this article, autopsy reports and crime scene investigation data of 11 lightning-related fatalities that occurred in Van and Hakkari Provinces (Turkey) from January 1st, 2011 to December 31st, 2015 were retrospectively reviewed. Eleven (2.53%) of 1,699 deaths which evaluated by medico-legal autopsy in Van and Hakkari Province in five years period, died due to lightning strikes. Of these cases, 10 (90.1%) were males and 1 (9.9%) was female (p<0.05). All cases between 11 and 33 age range. All cases was injured outdoors. We think that, the number of deaths due to lightning strike, that has seen relatively rare in Turkey, may be reduced with additional personal precautions such as to avoid from staying under trees or the vicinity of a high tower, to avoid from touching with metal object, to avoid from to lie on the ground, to avoid from to lie on the ground, to avoid from leaning against a wall, to crouch outdoors or enter indoor such as a building or car. ************************************************************************************************************************************************************ ÖZET: ÖZET: Yıldırım, doğanın en ölümcül olaylarından biridir ve bir günde Dünya'ya düşen yıldırım sayısı yaklaşık sekiz milyondur. Bu makalenin amacı, Türkiye'deki en büyük yıldırım ölümleri serisini bildirmek, bu konudaki literatürü gözden geçirmek, sunulan serilerin otopsi bulguları ile literatür bilgileri arasındaki benzerlik ve farklılıkları belirlemektir. Bu yazıda, 1 Ocak 2011-31 Aralık 2015 tarihleri arasında Van ve Hakkari İllerinde (Türkiye) yıldırım düşmesi sonucu meydana gelen 11 ölüm vakasının otopsi raporları ve olay yeri inceleme verileri geriye dönük olarak incelenmiştir. Van ve Hakkari'de beş yıl içinde adli otopsi ile değerlendirilen 1.699 ölümden 11'i (%2.53) yıldırım çarpması sonucu yaşamını yitirdi. Bu olguların 10'u (%90.1) erkek, 1'i (%9.9) kadındı (p<0.05). Tüm vakalar 11-33 yaş aralığında idi. Tüm vakalar açık havada yaralandı. Türkiye'de nispeten nadir görülen yıldırım çarpmasına bağlı ölümlerin ağaç altı veya yüksek bir kule çevresinde kalmamak, metalle temas etmemek, yere yatmaktan kaçınmak, duvara yaslanmaktan kaçınmak, bina veya araba gibi dış mekanlarda çömelmek veya iç mekanlara girmek gibi ek kişisel önlemlerle azaltılabileceğini düşünüyoruz.

Lightning severity in Malaysia and some parameters of interest for engineering applications

Article

Full-text available

Jan 2016
THERM SCI

Zainal Kadir

To the electric utility engineer, the parameters of the flash that are of primary interest are the crest current for the first and subsequent strokes, the waveshape of these currents, correlation between the parameters, the number of strokes per flash and flash incidence rates where the ground flash density, denoted as flashes per square km-year and symbolized by Ng. The first three parameters, as we know them today, are to a very large extent based on the measurements of Berger. Berger's masts, 70 and 80 meters high, were mounted atop Mt. San Salvatore (Switzerland), which is 650 meters above Lake Lugano, where it can be readily noted that these 125 records represent one of the best and most extensive set of data available to the industry to date. This paper focuses on the lightning severity scenario in Malaysia, which could also applicable to other tropic countries, and some of the useful parameters for lightning protection system design and forensic study. Some specific engineering applications have also been summarised, taking into account various lightning parameters, available from past and current measurements available.

Lightning strike induced injuries and its treatment

Article

Full-text available

Jan 2023

Ritesh Chaudhary

Background and Objectives: Lightning is one of the most powerful and spectacular natural phenomena. Consequential lighting strikes (CLS) is lightning events causing physical injury, unconsciousness or death to humans. While the chance of being struck by lightning is statistically very low, that risk becomes much greater in those who frequently work or play outdoors. The risk of being struck by lightning is dependent on regional, seasonal and temporal factors.Materials &Methods:It is a descriptive cross sectional retrospective study was done in lightning injury cases presented in Emergency ward of BPKIHS. The data were taken from medical record section of age >16 years with history of lightning strike injury over the period of five (5) years from 2016-01-01 to 2020-12-30. Using below mentioned equation, the sample size was calculated as 177. But 187 samples were taken and analyzed. Sample size (n) = z2pq/d2 Results:168(89.8%) male and 19 (10.2%) female were injured. Commonly involved age groups were 20-29 years and 60 to 69 years. Most of the lightning strike cases were from April to August. There were 13 mortalitiesout of total 187 victims who had severe burn and other complications like acute kidney injury, cardiac arrhythmia, rhabdomyolysis.Conclusion: Lightning strike injury is one of the major problems in eastern Nepal and the lightning strike rate is quite common compared to other parts of the world. Lightning strike occurs more commonly to the adult male working outdoors. Complications related to lightning strike is 20.3%. Management of lightning strike victim is mainly supportive and involves management of the organ-system affected by the strike.

A bin-microphysics parcel model investigation of secondary ice formation in an idealised shallow convective cloud

Preprint

Full-text available

Oct 2022

We provide the first systematic study of ice formation in idealised shallow clouds from collisions of supercooled water drops with ice particles (‘mode 2’). Using the University of Manchester bin-microphysics parcel model, we investigated the sensitivity of ice formation due to mode 2 for a wide range of parameters: aerosol particle size distribution, updraft speed, cloud base temperature, cloud depth, ice-nucleating particle concentration and freezing fraction of mode 2. We provide context to our results with other secondary ice production mechanisms as single mechanisms and combinations (rime-splintering, spherical freezing fragmentation of drops [‘mode 1’] and ice-ice collisions). There was a significant sensitivity to aerosol particle size distribution when updraft speeds were low (0.5 m s−1); secondary ice formation did not occur when the aerosol particle size distribution mimicked polluted environments. Where secondary ice formation did occur in simulated clouds, significant ice formation in the shallower clouds (1.3 km deep) was due to mode 2 or a combination which included mode 2. The deeper clouds (2.4 km deep) also had significant contributions from rime-splintering or ice-ice collisions SIP mechanisms. While simulations with cloud base temperatures of 7 °C were relatively insensitive to ice-nucleating particle concentrations, there was a sensitivity in simulations cloud base temperatures of 0 °C. Increasing the ice-nucleating particle concentration delayed ice formation. Our results suggest that collisions of supercooled water drops with ice particles may be a significant ice formation mechanism within shallow convective clouds where rime-splintering is not active.

Meteorological Hazards

Chapter

Aug 2022

Gabor Mezosi

The consequences of meteorological hazards include an increase in the number of heatwaves, extreme storms, climate extremes in general and changes in hydrological processes. The chapter summarises many types of meteorological hazards and their negative consequences. These increasing numbers of hazards are grouped into three categories: extreme temperature events (e.g. cold and heatwaves), intense wind events (tropical and temperate cyclones) and extreme events associated with convective atmospheric motions (e.g. thunderstorms, extreme winds, dust and sandstorms). Climate change is undoubtedly a key driver of these often-extreme processes. One of its most characteristic features is the increase in temperature and the transformation of precipitation patterns. Still, the measurable consequences of heat and cold waves, changing wind and precipitation patterns can also cause serious environmental, health and financial problems.

Brázdil et al. 2022 - Changes in Weather-Related Fatalities in the Czech Republic during the 1961–2020 Period

Article

Full-text available

Apr 2022

Fatalities associated with severe weather, collected from newspapers and other documentary sources, were used to create a corresponding database for the 1961–2020 period for the Czech Republic. Fatalities attributed to floods, windstorms, convective storms, snow and glaze ice, frost, fog, and other severe weather, on the one hand, and vehicle accident fatalities connected with rain, snow, glaze ice, fog, and inclement weather, on the other, were analysed separately for two standard periods, 1961–1990 and 1991–2020. The number of weather-related fatalities between these two periods increased in the flood, windstorm, and especially frost categories, and decreased for the convective storm and fog categories. For snow and glaze ice they were the same. Despite significant differences in both 30-year periods, the highest proportions of fatalities corresponded to the winter months, and in individual fatality characteristics to males, adults, direct deaths, deaths by freezing or hypothermia, and to hazardous behaviour. A statistically significant (p < 0.05) Spearman rank correlation between fatalities and climate variables was only found in the 1991–2020 period for snow/glaze ice-related fatalities, with the number of days with snow cover depth and frost-related fatalities having days with daily minimum temperatures below -5 °C or -10 °C. Despite the highest°proportions of the rain and wet road categories being in the number of vehicle accident fatalities, a statistically significant correlation was only found for the category of snow-related fatalities in the number of days with snowfall. The results and conclusions of this study have to be evaluated in the broader context of climatological, political, economic, and societal changes within the country, and have the potential to be used in risk management.

Isolated Liver Injury Due to Ground Current Effect of Lightning Strike

Article

Sep 2021

Climate Change and Lightning Risk in Bangladesh

Chapter

Aug 2021

In developing countries, lightning hazard is an underrated natural hazard despite having the potential to cause major loss and damages to human life and property and Bangladesh is not an exception. The existing national database of Bangladesh lacks information on lightning casualties. Hence, five years of database on lightning-related deaths and injuries from 2011 to 2016 was constructed through an innovative data mining process. An average of 913 casualties was identified, with an average of 182 people being affected by lightning occurrences each year in Bangladesh. The largest death toll was found among the male population (74%) compared to the females (26%), as males are more involved with labor-intensive agricultural practices in a developing country like Bangladesh. Most casualties occurred during the pre-monsoon (March–May) and monsoon (June–September) seasons with lightning incidents occurring mostly between morning (0600 LST) and afternoon (1800 LST). The most vulnerable age groups were found to be from 16 to 30 and 31 to 45 followed by <16, 46–60 and >60. Outdoor activities accounted for the highest number of lightening causalities; activities mostly involved agricultural practices followed by open area activities. Indoor dwellings also had significant amount of casualty especially in the veranda/balcony and while sleeping. The spatial distributions of lightning casualties were determined by GIS mapping; districts with no, low, moderate and high casualties were determined. Northwestern (Chapainawabganj) and northeastern districts (Kishoreganj and Moulavibazar) of Bangladesh accounted for the highest number of casualties. This study will therefore provide useful information in developing lightning safety measures in Bangladesh.

Secondary ice production during the break-up of freezing water drops on impact with ice particles

Preprint

Full-text available

Jul 2021

We experimentally investigated collisions of supercooled water drops (∼ 5 mm in diameter) with ice particles of a similar size placed on a glass slide at temperatures T ≥ −12 °C. Our results showed that secondary drops were generated during both the spreading and retraction phase of the supercooled water drop impact. The secondary drops generated during the spreading phase were emitted too fast to quantify. However, quantification of the secondary drops generated during the retraction phase with diameters > 0.1 mm showed that 5–10 secondary drops formed per collision, with approximately 30 % of the secondary drops freezing over a temperature range of −4 °C ≤ T ≤ −12 °C. Our investigation provides the first dedicated laboratory study of collisions of supercooled water drops with ice particles as a secondary ice production mechanism. Our results suggest that this secondary ice production mechanism may be significant for ice formation in atmospheric clouds containing large supercooled drops and ice particles.

Fatalities associated with the weather in the Czech Republic, 2000–2019

Preprint

Full-text available

Jan 2021

This paper presents an analysis of fatalities attributable to weather conditions in the Czech Republic during the 2000–2019 period. The database of fatalities deployed contains information extracted from Právo, a leading daily newspaper, and Novinky.cz, its internet equivalent, supplemented by a number of other documentary sources. The analysis is performed for floods, windstorms, convective storms, rain, snow, glaze ice, frost, heat, and fog. For each of them, the associated fatalities are investigated in terms of annual frequencies, trends, annual variation, spatial distribution, cause, type, place, and time, as well as the sex, age, and behaviour of casualties. There were 1164 weather-related fatalities during the 2000–2019 study period, exhibiting a statistically significant falling trend. Those attributable to frost (31 %) predominated, followed by glaze ice, rain and snow. Fatalities were at their maximum in January and December and at their minimum in April and September. Fatalities arising out of vehicle accidents (48 %) predominated in terms of structure, followed by freezing or hypothermia (30 %). Most deaths occurred during the night. Adults (65 %) and males (72 %) accounted for the majority of fatalities, while indirect fatalities were more frequent than direct ones (55 % to 45 %). Hazardous behaviour accounted for 76 %. According to the database of the Czech Statistical Office, deaths caused by exposure to excessive natural cold are markedly predominant among five selected groups of weather-related fatalities and their numbers exhibit a statistically significant rise during 2000–2019. Police yearbooks of the fatalities arising out of vehicle accidents indicate significantly decreasing trends in the frequency of inclement weather patterns associated with fatal accidents, as well as a decrease in their percentage in annual numbers of fatalities. The discussion of results includes the problems of data uncertainty, comparison of different data sources, and the broader context.

Lightning strike-induced acute lung injury: A case report

Article

Full-text available

Jan 2018
ULUS TRAVMA ACIL CER

Melahat Uzel Sener

Lightning strike is an environmental electrical injury with high rates of morbidity and mortality. Lightning strike injuries are also considered to be high-voltage injuries. Respiratory injuries associated with lightning strikes include pulmonary edema, pulmonary contusion, acute respiratory distress syndrome, and pulmonary hemorrhage. In addition to direct damage, the affected patients are also exposed to secondary trauma; similarly, many other mechanisms associated with lightning injury have the same risk. It will therefore always be a rational approach to evaluate patients as multiple trauma patients. In this case report, a 19-year-old patient was admitted to the emergency department with amnesia, disorientation, shortness of breath, abdominal pain complaints and lung contusion, and myopathy signs as a result of a lightning strike in open terrain. The patient had a blood pressure of 80/50 mmHg, a heart rate of 110/min, and oxygen saturation of 85%. Bilateral lung contusion and pleural effusion were detected on the computerized tomography of the thorax. In addition, global cardiac hypokinesia and the 20%-25% ejection fraction were detected on echocardiography. The central nervous system and abdominal scans were normal. The patient was admitted to the intensive care unit and treated with supportive oxygen, intravenous hydration, antibiotics, systemic steroids, and invasive cardiac monitoring. On the 10th day of admission to the hospital, the patient was discharged with clinical and radiological improvement. On the 20th day after discharge, tomography scans showed no thoracic pathologic findings.

Article

Dec 2017

Lightning-related fatalities in Romania are analyzed and presented for the first time using data from the Romanian National Institute of Statistics. The database contains 724 lightning fatalities that occurred between 1999 and 2015 in Romania, corresponding to an average of 42.6 fatalities per year. The annual number of lightning fatalities decreased from 65 fatalities per year between 1999 and 2003 to 23.2 fatalities per year between 2011 and 2015. The majority of fatalities occurred in May-August (42% of all fatalities) with a peak in June (31%) and July (28%). The highest fatality rates (.2.6 fatalities per million inhabitants per year) are observed over southwestern Romania, a region characterized by high values of cloud-to-ground lightning density (.2 flashes per square kilometer per year) and by a relatively high percentage (.40%) of the population living in rural areas. The majority of fatalities (78%) were reported in rural areas. Approximately 78% of the victims were male. The most vulnerable group was males between the ages of 10-39 living in rural areas. To further reduce the lightning fatality rate in Romania, currently one of the highest in Europe, the authors argue that lightning mitigation activities and information campaigns about the risks associated with lightning should be initiated in Romania.

Natural hazard fatalities in Switzerland from 1946 to 2015

Article

Full-text available

Jul 2016

A database of fatalities caused by natural hazard processes in Switzerland was compiled for the period between 1946 and 2015. Using information from the Swiss flood and landslide database and the Swiss destructive avalanche database, the data set was extended back in time and more hazard processes were added by conducting an in-depth search of newspaper reports. The new database now covers all natural hazards common in Switzerland categorized into seven process types: flood, landslide, rockfall, lightning, windstorm, avalanche, and other processes (e.g. ice avalanches, earthquakes). Included were all fatal accidents associated with natural hazard processes where victims did not expose themselves to an important danger on purpose or wilfully. The database contains information on 635 natural hazard events causing 1023 fatalities, which corresponds to a mean of 14.6 victims per year. The most common causes of death were snow avalanche (37 %), followed by lightning (16 %), flood (12 %), windstorm (10 %), rockfall (8 %), landslide (7 %) and other processes (9 %). About 50 % of all victims died in one of the 507 single-fatality events; the other half of victims were killed in the 128 multi-fatality events. The number of natural hazard fatalities that occurred annually during our 70-year study period ranged from two to 112 and exhibited a distinct decrease over time. While the number of victims during the first three decades (until 1975) ranged from 191 to 269 per decade, it ranged from 47 to 109 in the four following decades. This overall decrease was mainly driven by a considerable decline in the number of avalanche and lightning fatalities. About 75 % of victims were males in all natural hazard events considered together, and this ratio was roughly maintained in all individual process categories except landslides (lower) and other processes (higher). The ratio of male to female victims was most likely to be balanced when deaths occurred at home (in or near a building), a situation that mainly occurred in association with landslides and avalanches. The average age of victims of natural hazards was 35.9 years, and accordingly, the age groups with the largest number of victims were the 20–29 and 30–39 year-old groups, which in combination represented 34% of all fatalities. It appears that the natural hazard fatality rate in Switzerland during the past 70 years has been relatively low in comparison to rates in other countries or rates of other types of fatal accidents in Switzerland.

Characteristic analysis of lightning disaster in Hainan Island from 1999 to 2011

Article

Oct 2014

Characteristics of the lightning disaster in Hainan Island from 1999 to 2011 were statistically analyzed by using nation-wide lightning disaster data, thunderstorm data, lightning location data, and statistical yearbook of Hainan Province. Results show that, 727 lightning disaster accidents were reported from 1999 to 2011, which result in 405 casualties including 157 deaths and 248 injuries; the lightning casualty ratio is 1.58:1. The lightning disasters of Hainan Island mainly occur between 1; 00pm and 6:00pm from April to September, which agrees with the lightning activity of Hainan Island. Haikou and Qiongzhong have the most lightning disaster accidents. Lightning disasters with casualty usually occur in field, simple shed, rural residence, water area and under the tree in sequence. Lightning disasters with damages occur most frequently in the power, petrochemical industries and three other industries, which account for 22.2% of the lightning disaster with damage. The hotels account for the largest proportion (34.7%) of the direct economic losses caused by the lightning disasters. Lightning disasters with casualty and damages have no significant correlation with thunderstorm days, but lightning disasters with casualty and damage are positively correlated with life fragile module and economic vulnerability module.

Injuries and deaths caused by lightning in the United Kingdom: a new national database

Article

Full-text available

Jan 1994

The Late Derek Michael Elsom

TORRO has initiated a national database for lightning injuries and deaths in the United Kingdom in order to estimate the lightning risks associated with different types of location and to understand the nature and severity of injuries caused by the different types of lightning strikes. This article employs incidents from 1994 to illustrate the different types of lightning strikes and injuries. Typically, about 24 people are struck by lightning in the UK each year, of whom four die. -Author

Surviving being struck by lightning: A preliminary assessment of the risk of lightning injuries and death in the British Isles

Article

Full-text available

Jan 1996

The Late Derek Michael Elsom

The nature of TORRO's database of lightning incidents in the British Isles is outlined. The general location categories into which each lightning injury and death incident is classified is explained. A preliminary analysis of the lightning injuries and deaths database for the period 1993-95 indicates that a total of 198 people were struck by lightning, an annual average of 66 people. The majority experienced only minor injuries (e.g. suffering a small electrical shock, being thrown to the ground, experiencing a brief blackout or temporary paralysis of the arm or legs). A minority experienced superficial (flashover) or full thickness burns and/or required resuscitation and a small number, nine people during 1993-95, were killed. All the lightning fatalities occurred outdoors but over half those people struck by lightning were indoors, with one-in-four of the incidents involving the telephone.

Unusual skin injury from lightning

Article

Full-text available

Mar 1996

Telephone-related lightning injury

Article

Dec 1992

Christopher Andrews

Objective To review reported telephone‐related lightning injuries, outline the mechanisms of injury and suggest treatment strategies. Data sources Cases notified to Telecom Australia and an extensive search of the literature. Data synthesis There is a dearth of literature on telephone‐related lightning injury. Some reports note it in passing, others describe single incidents. Case reports from Australia provide detail sufficient for review, and the general principles which govern management of such injuries are presented. Conclusion Telephone‐related lightning injury is not rare. Practitioners should be aware of the uniqueness of lightning injury and the complexity of its assessment. A research program aimed at further elucidation of the detail of this injury is proceeding.

Telephone‐related lightning injury

Article

Mar 1993

Medical aspects of lightning injuries

Article

Oct 1999

J. Callagan

This paper discusses mechanisms of lightning injury and the potential physiological outcomes by means of a review of the literature from the past 25 years. A short case study of a family from Kent who were all struck at a football match in 1995 is included.

Death by lightning

Article

Oct 1976

Modern knowledge of the amplitudes and waveshapes of lightning currents enables a method of determining the electrical effects of a direct lightning stroke to be established. It has been shown that this entails an initial current discharge through the body, followed by an external flashover. The amplitude and waveshape of the current flowing through a body can thus be determined. The phenomenon of a back flashover, which is a familiar concept to h.v. transmission engineers, is paralleled by the so-called side flash to a person or animal, e.g. when sheltering under a tree or in close proximity to a metal fence. Another possibility is a direct stroke to earth, producing so high a potential drop over the ground surface as to paralyse or shock people over a wide area. From the medical point of view, it is important to apply this knowledge to understand the nature of the current and its pathway through the body. It may then be possible to postulate the possible effects of the lightning stroke on the different bodily systems. While clearly it is not possible to test these conclusions by planned investigations, they may be examined in the light of reported observation from accidents.

Deaths Caused by Lightning in England and Wales

Article

Mar 1993

The Late Derek Michael Elsom

Climate Change Scenarios for the United Kingdom: the UKCIP02 Scientific Report

Article

Jan 2002

Environmental Medical Emergencies

Article

Jan 1995

David J. Steedman

1st Ed Bibliogr. na konci kapitol

Telephone-mediated Lightning Injury

Article

Jun 1989
J TRAUMA

Each year in Australia, about 60 people report injuries attributable to lightning surges while using a telephone during nearby thunderstorms. This paper presents information about such incidents and describes a retrospective survey of more than 300 telephone users reporting injuries possibly attributable to lightning. Questionnaires yielded 132 usable responses, and the results were analysed to identify the extent and nature of the lightning injuries. These are compared with direct strike injuries. Three distinct telephone-mediated lightning strike syndromes are identified (statistically) among the victims.

Telephone-mediated lightning injury causing cataract

Article

Nov 1998
INJURY

Telephone-mediated lightning strikes can cause serious injuries to vital structures in the head and neck region. Cataract is a well-known complication of direct lightning strikes. This is the first recorded case of cataract following indirect lightning strike mediated by a telephone.

Climate Change Scenarios for the United Kingdom: Scientific Report. UK Climate Impacts Programme Technical Report No. 1, Climatic Research Unit Protection from lightning

Jan 1992
147-148

M Hulme
G J Jenkins

Hulme, M., Jenkins, G.J., 1998. Climate Change Scenarios for the United Kingdom: Scientific Report. UK Climate Impacts Programme Technical Report No. 1, Climatic Research Unit, Norwich. Mackerras, D., 1992. Protection from lightning. In: Andrews, C.J., Cooper, M.A., Darveniza, M., Mackerras, Ž. D. Eds., Lightning Injuries: Electrical Medical, and Legal Aspects. CRC Press, London, pp. 147–148.

Distribution of lightning-caused casualties and damages since 1959 in the United States

Feb 1999
363-370

R L Holle
R E Lopez
E B Curran

Holle, R.L., Lopez, R.E., Curran, E.B., 1999. Distribution of lightning-caused casualties and damages since 1959 in the United States. 11th Conference on Applied Climatology, Dallas, TX, January 1999. American Meteorological Society, Boston, MA, pp. 363–370.

Learn to live with lightning

Jan 1989
54

Elsom

Ž. Elsom, D.M., 1989. Learn to live with lightning. New Scientist 122 1670, 54–58.

Lightning strike injuries

Jan 1995
16

Thayre

Ž. Thayre, K., 1995. Lightning strike injuries. Emergency Nurse 3 3, 16–19.

Lightning fatalities, injuries and damage reports in the United States

Jan 1959

E B Curran
R L Holle

Curran, E.B., Holle, R.L., 1997. Lightning fatalities, injuries and damage reports in the United States, 1959–1994, NOAA Technical Memorandum NWS SR-193. NOAA Scientific Services Division, Fort Worth, Texas.

Physics of lightning phenomena

Jan 1992

Uman

Uman, M.A., 1992. Physics of lightning phenomena. In: Andrews, C.J., Cooper, M.A., Darveniza, M., Ž. Mackerras, D. Eds., Lightning Injuries: Electrical Medical, and Legal Aspects. CRC Press, London.

Treatment of lightning injury

Jan 1992
115

Cooper

Cooper, M.A., 1992. Treatment of lightning injury. In: Andrews, C.J., Cooper, M.A., Darveniza, M., Ž. Mackerras, D. Eds., Lightning Injuries: Electrical, Medical, and Legal Aspects. CRC Press, London, pp. 115–140.

Telephone-mediated lightning injury: an Australian survey

Jan 1989
665

Andrews

Lightning fatalities, injuries and damage reports in the United States, 1959–1994

Jan 1997

Curran

Distribution of lightning-caused casualties and damages since 1959 in the United States

Jan 1999
363

Holle

Protection from lightning

Jan 1992
147

Mackerras

Deaths and injuries caused by lightning in the United Kingdom: Analyses of two databases

Abstract

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