Lightning Climatology in India

Lightning is a very significant severe weather phenomenon in India. It causes nearly 3,000 deaths per year and a large amount of economic loss. With the rapid deployment of national lighting detection networks in India, it’s now possible to survey lightning activity in greater detail, enabling life-saving automated early warning systems and alerting capabilities in the region. The authors provide a summary of lightning activity in two Indian states, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh. The authors look at the lightning occurrence, flash density, geographic distribution, seasonality and other trends. The authors also discuss analysis methods that can be applied as more data becomes available and the practical applications of lightning detection information in India.