North Rhine-Westphalia: 31,000 lightning strikes counted in NRW: more than in the previous year

Düsseldorf (dpa / lnw) - In North Rhine-Westphalia it flashed much more frequently than before in the past year.

North Rhine-Westphalia: 31,000 lightning strikes counted in NRW: more than in the previous year

Düsseldorf (dpa / lnw) - In North Rhine-Westphalia it flashed much more frequently than before in the past year. This is the result of measurements by Siemens' lightning information service. There were an average of around 0.9 lightning strikes per square kilometer in the state, which is significantly more than in 2020, when the figure was 0.6.

There were around 31,000 lightning strikes across the entire area of ​​NRW, compared to just under 20,000 in 2020. The nationwide square kilometer average was even higher than in NRW last year, at 1.4. This was also a steep climb.

"Compared to previous years, 2021 was again significantly rainier, but temperatures were still high, especially in June," said Siemens expert Stephan Thern, looking at the whole of Germany. "So the basic requirements for thunderstorms - moisture and hot temperatures - were in place to register a significantly more lightning-intensive year."

Lightning flashes most frequently in NRW last year in the Rhein-Kreis Neuss, where an average of 2.11 flashes per square kilometer were registered. Lightning flashes were the least common in Germany in Solingen, where the value was only 0.18.

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.