Cloud-to-ground flashes increase by 53% from 2019 to 2023, shows data

MP, UP, Bihar make up over 60% of lightning-related fatalities

The two-day annual lightning conference concluded on August 29 in the national capital, highlighting a “notable surge” in lightning occurrences and fatalities since 2019.

The Annual Lightning Report, based on data from the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology and the National Remote Sensing Centre, revealed that cloud-to-ground lightning flashes had increased by 53 per cent from 2019 to 2023. It noted that several states had experienced more than a 300 per cent rise in lightning flashes. Madhya Pradesh (MP), Uttar Pradesh (UP), Bihar, Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, Odisha, West Bengal, and Maharashtra were affected.

The study identified the central Indian region between