Wiesbaden (dpa/lhe) - In Hesse, there were more flashes in 2021 than in the previous year. According to measurements by the Siemens Lightning Information Service, 15,794 lightning strikes. Relative to the area of the federal state, that was 0.75 flashes per square kilometer - in the previous year it was 0.6. Overall, according to the lightning atlas published on Monday, Hesse is one of the five federal states with the least lightning. Baden-Württemberg, Bavaria and Schleswig-Holstein are ahead.
In terms of lightning strikes in the capital cities, Wiesbaden ranked in the lower midfield with 0.57 strikes per square kilometer. In Hesse, lightning flashed most frequently in Offenbach. A total of 89 lightning bolts struck there, so there were 1.97 lightning bolts per square kilometer.
In 2021 there were 491,000 impacts across Germany - almost 100,000 more than in the previous year. "Compared to previous years, 2021 was again significantly rainier, but temperatures were still high, especially in June," explains Stephan Thern, head of Siemens' lightning information service. "So the basic requirements for thunderstorms - moisture and hot temperatures - were in place to register a significantly more lightning-intensive year." Overall, more than half of all lightning strikes in Germany last year in June, when storms had caused severe damage in parts of the Federal Republic.
The lightning is measured using around 160 interconnected measuring stations in Europe. Although there are up to 350 kilometers between the sensors, the lightning strikes can be determined with an accuracy of up to 50 meters.
