Fewer Lightning Strikes Observed Than Last Year's Average...KMA Says "Shorter Monsoon and Typhoon Impact"

KMA Publishes '2019 Lightning Annual Report'
Number of Occurrences by Region: Incheon > Sejong > Daegu Order

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[Asia Economy Reporter Hyunju Lee] The Korea Meteorological Administration (KMA) reported that approximately 66,000 lightning strikes were observed last year.

On the 15th, the KMA announced the publication of the "2019 Lightning Annual Report," which contains this information.

The annual number of lightning observations was lower than both the 10-year average from 2010 to 2019 (about 127,000 strikes) and the previous year (about 118,000 strikes).

Lightning occurs when a discharge happens from clouds to the ground and frequently takes place during heavy rainfalls when the atmosphere is unstable. However, even during heavy rain, lightning is rarely observed when under the influence of a typhoon.

A KMA official explained, "Last summer, the amount of precipitation was low and the monsoon period was short," adding, "The fact that seven typhoons affected the Korean Peninsula last year may also have had an impact."

By month, July last year recorded the highest number of lightning strikes at 17,671 (27%). Seasonally, summer (June to August) accounted for 63% of the annual lightning strikes, totaling 41,495 occurrences.

By region, Incheon had the highest annual lightning strikes per unit area, with 1.59 strikes per square kilometer. This was followed by Sejong (1.45 strikes/km²) and Daegu (1.06 strikes/km²).

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.