Climate Change Fuels Surge in Global Thunderstorms and Lightning Strikes

Senior scientists have noted an increase in thunderstorm activity and lightning strikes due to climate change. Recent incidents in India have resulted in numerous fatalities, highlighting the growing threat. Experts point to increasing surface temperatures and moisture-holding capacity of the air as key factors driving this trend.

Senior scientists have reported a rise in thunderstorm activity and lightning strikes worldwide, attributing the trend to climate change. The phenomenon has been linked to multiple fatalities in India, with 43 people killed in Uttar Pradesh and 21 in Bihar over the past two days.

Former Earth Sciences Secretary Madhavan Nair Rajeevan explained that the formation of convective or thunderstorm clouds is on the rise due to global warming. 'People have documented that the frequency of thunderstorms is increasing everywhere, including India, due to climate change,' Rajeevan told PTI.

Further supporting these observations, the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology noted a 30 to 40 per cent increase in lightning incidents in India from 1995 to 2014. The National Crime Records Bureau's 2022 report cited lightning as a leading cause of natural force-related deaths.

(With inputs from agencies.)