There has been a marked increase inlightningand thunderstorms in the year 2021 and they have become deadlier too.
Sharing the details of casualties arising out of extremeweatherevents in 2021, director general of India Meteorological Department (IMD), Mrutyunjay Mohapatra, said out of 1,750 deaths occurring due to different extreme weather events, lightning accounted for 45% casualties corresponding to 787, far above than the casualties caused by cyclonic storms (172), which is otherwise considered more dreadful.
Deaths due to flood, heavy rain and landslide accounted for 43% (759) casualties. Lightning events causing deaths have mostly been reported from the eastern part of the country Bihar, Jharkhand, Odisha, West Bengal and Madhya Pradesh.