Lightning kills

[T.C.]

Could you ask the C's why there are so many people killed by lightning in Zimbabwe?

https://www.sott.net/article/336001-Lightning-bolt-kills-five-cattle-in-Zimbabwe

https://www.sott.net/article/339930-Lightning-bolt-kills-six-at-Zimbabwe-funeral

https://www.sott.net/article/338113-Man-killed-by-lightning-bolt-under-bizarre-circumstances-in-Zimbabwe

https://www.sott.net/article/336502-Lightning-strikes-kill-4-and-severely-burn-10-others-in-Zimbabwe

https://www.sott.net/article/337909-Man-killed-by-lightning-on-Christmas-Eve-in-Zimbabwe

https://www.sott.net/article/332323-Lightning-bolts-kill-man-and-3-donkeys-in-Zimbabwe

https://www.sott.net/article/337909-Man-killed-by-lightning-on-Christmas-Eve-in-Zimbabwe

https://www.sott.net/article/333148-Lightning-bolt-kills-pupil-and-injures-4-others-in-Zimbabwe

https://www.sott.net/article/340775-Lightning-bolt-kills-2-school-pupils-at-assembly-in-Zimbabwe-30-others-injured

https://www.sott.net/article/338661-Lightning-strikes-kill-2-girls-burn-2-more-in-Zimbabwe

https://www.sott.net/article/338237-Lightning-bolt-kills-mother-and-her-two-sons-in-Zimbabwe

https://www.sott.net/article/332784-Woman-struck-by-lightning-bolt-while-sheltering-under-tree-with-umbrella-in-Zimbabwe-VIDEO

https://www.sott.net/article/300618-Lightning-bolt-kills-4-Masvingo-Zimbabwe

https://www.sott.net/article/339156-Lightning-bolt-kills-two-in-Chivhu-Zimbabwe

https://www.sott.net/article/315074-Lightning-bolt-kills-teacher-and-pupil-in-Zimbabwe

And on and on. It happens more than weekly.

 

[Lorraine]

Always have been. There are huge masses of granite boulders above and under ground. My mother says she read somewhere that there's at least about 88 people killed by lightning a year. The huts they live in are usually the highest point in the country which could also be a factor.

 

[aimarok]

Besides geographical factor there could be a seasonal one. There was a lot of news about deaths by lightning in India and Bangladesh some time ago and it stopped now.

 

[Gary]

According to a study in 1987; Zimbabwe: Fertile Ground for Lightning

"High altitude, high humidity and high temperatures combine to affect the density of the air and thus the ease with which lightning can occur," explained Max van Olst, a lecturer in the University of Zimbabwe's electrical engineering department.

"A lot of Zimbabwe's soil is a poor conductor of electricity, meaning that the charge from a lightning bolt, instead of dispersing evenly, can stream with concentrated force hundreds of yards from the strike point as it follows narrow paths of easy conductivity,"

http://articles.latimes.com/1987-01-25/news/mn-5756_1_chinamasa


Also, as our atmosphere is becoming more 'charged', lightning is increasing in strength and frequency.

https://www.sott.net/article/320617-Electric-universe-Lightning-strength-and-frequency-increasing

 

[Joe]

As others have said, apart from the increasing charge in the atmosphere which accounts for more lightning everywhere, the composition of the earth (that conducts the electricity) in certain areas of the globe will likely make for it being a 'hot spot'.

 

[Pierre]

Apparently lightning frequency in Zimbabwe is not particularly high (I added a red circle around Zimbabwe in the picture below):

And according to statistics, about 24,000 people are killed by lightning strikes around the world each year.

So, it would be interesting to know what is the lightning mortality rate in Zimbabwe and compare it to other countries.

 

[T.C.]

Thank you for all taking the time to reply, guys. Now wishing I'd spent the same time you did looking for an answer myself.

A useful lesson for me.

 

[Pierre]

Thank you for all taking the time to reply, guys. Now wishing I'd spent the same time you did looking for an answer myself.

A useful lesson for me.

It's not always obvious if a question should be brought up during a session or not. Often a preliminary exchange in the forum allows to clarify this point.

I didn't see anything wrong with your question. It was actually an interesting point. That's how a proper network works: questions are raised, solutions are proposed and we all learn from the exchange.

 

[Keit]

As others have said, apart from the increasing charge in the atmosphere which accounts for more lightning everywhere, the composition of the earth (that conducts the electricity) in certain areas of the globe will likely make for it being a 'hot spot'.

Speaking of an increased charge in the atmosphere, I just listened to a lecture by Vadim Chernobrov, head of "Kosmopoisk" (It's like a Russian MUFON, and much more) about UFO related events in 2016, and he also mentioned a strange case of simultaneous "attack by ball lightnings" in several locations in Russia and other countries specifically on 17th of August, 2016. Allegedly all the incidents happened almost simultaneously, or with a difference of hours between them. I wonder if anything cosmic related happened on this day, or days before it?

I am attaching the map of the locations, and here's an article about it with the names of the locations (in Russian). And here's an article on the Russian SOTT about some of the cases.

According to Chernobrov, within several hours ball lightnings injured or even killed no less than 10 people. But he also says that there is a repeated pattern, and in the past ball lightnings got activated on this date before. For example, there is gathered data about ball lightning attacks on 17th of August 1978, and on the same date of the year 2000, 2012, and now 2016. Maybe it is just a coincidence, and maybe not.

As for patterns and statistics, in the same lecture he brought up a graph (I am attaching it as well), where he shows statistics of UFO related reports (probably only the ones that were reported to Kosmopoisk, but not sure about it) starting from 1990. Chernobrov says that there is a clear increase in the reports from the beginning of the "internet era". Until then the reports were arriving mostly by snail mail. And there is also a marked (with the number one) significant increase during the year 2012, when (as Chernobrov said) there were many fakes, and people anticipated the arrival of Nibiru.

Considering all the above, according to him year 2016 is highly anomalous (it is a second spike, marked with number two), because there were no particular news or fakes about the arrival of anything specific. And yet there is an increase in reports.

Chernobrov doesn't mention it and doesn't make a distinction, but in my opinion it has to do with the increase of all kind of strange and anomalous atmospheric phenomena, where people often call something a UFO, when it is a falling meteorite, a strange cloud, or a plasma event. On the other hand, they could all be related! All in all, it does show that strange things are happening and are being noticed all over the world.