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Reduced Lightning During Thunderstorms as Heavy Rainfall Persists

Intense rainfall and occasional thunderstorms lead to a significant decrease in recorded lightning incidents

Intense rainfall and limited thunderstorms: Notably reduced instances of lightning
Intense rainfall and limited thunderstorms: Notably reduced instances of lightning

Ample rainfall with sporadic thunderstorms led to a substantial decrease in observed lightning activity - Reduced Lightning During Thunderstorms as Heavy Rainfall Persists

The summer of 2021 in Germany witnessed a significant decrease in lightning activity, with fewer strikes recorded compared to previous years. This reduction can primarily be attributed to warmer, drier, and sunnier weather that suppressed the formation of thunderstorms, the primary generators of lightning.

According to meteorological data, the summer period, particularly July 2021, experienced slightly below-average precipitation, making the atmosphere less moist and unstable, essential for thunderstorm development. The weather was also sunnier than usual, contributing to more stable atmospheric conditions that are less favorable for thunderstorms.

Without significant convective activity, fewer lightning-producing storms formed, leading to a reduced total number of lightning strikes. This pattern contrasts with regions where terrain such as mountain slopes can enhance thunderstorm severity and lightning frequency, but in 2021, the prevailing conditions did not favor such occurrences in Germany.

Climate models and recent research emphasize that lightning frequency depends heavily on local weather conditions like convection and cloud ice formation, which vary year to year and may be influenced by broader climate trends.

As of August 8, the lightning detection service Nowcast has recorded 563,000 lightning strikes this year, indicating that the current year is on track to beat the previous record of 813,000 from 2020. However, in the past summer weeks, fewer lightning strikes have been recorded compared to many years, with 394,000 discharges recorded from June 1 to July 31. In July, Nowcast reported that the number of lightning strikes was 63 percent below the average.

The thunderstorm season in Germany usually lasts from May to August, with June being the most lightning-prone month of the year, followed by July. However, last month (July) was washed out without major thunderstorms. The German Weather Service forecasts a new heat wave for the next few days.

Metrologist Nikolas Zimmermann of the weather service UBIMET stated that this summer has had hardly any large-scale thunderstorm systems generating many lightning strikes in Germany's latitudes. The information service Aldi Nord/Blids recorded a total of 23,986 lightning strikes in July, a decrease from 41,129 in the same month last year. It is important to note that Aldi Nord/Blids counts only ground lightning, not discharges between clouds.

Each lightning strike is counted only once, even if it has multiple discharges and the lightning flickers. Nowcast recorded the most lightning discharges in a single day on June 1, with a total of 43,000 lightning strikes in Germany that day. In May, the company recorded 118,000 lightning discharges, which is about 45 percent less than the average of the past 15 years.

In conclusion, the reduced lightning activity in Germany's summer 2021 was mainly due to warmer, drier, and more stable weather that suppressed thunderstorm formation, resulting in fewer lightning strikes compared to previous years. This serves as a reminder of the crucial role weather conditions play in lightning frequency and the importance of monitoring these conditions for a better understanding of atmospheric phenomena.

The published community policy should stress the significance of meteorological data and weather-forecasting in understanding the frequency of lightning strikes, as demonstrated by the recent decrease in lightning activity during Germany's summer of 2021. Employment policies within this field could prioritize the collection and analysis of such data to improve the prediction and mitigation of thunderstorm-related risks.

This weather-related finding highlights the importance of implementing comprehensive weather policies, encompassing both short-term forecasting and long-term climate trends, to ensure public safety and prepare for potential weather events in the future. These policies should be a key focus of stakeholders at the national and community levels.

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