Beware of lightning during convective rains

Chennai: The lightning which killed cattle in Kancheepuram district is an eye opener to remind people about dangers of lightning. While structures in urban setup have lightning arresters, the equipment is absent in rural areas due to lack of awareness.

Installing arresters in buildings is as important as constructing one, said  resident C. Shyam Gopal. “My father never heeded my words to set it up in our house in Kanyakumari.  We lost all electronic appliances and were lucky to be alive when lightning struck our residence,” he said.

Putting forth the characteristics of a lightning, Pradeep john, weather blogger, said, “Lightning is common between April and September, when convective rains are noticed. We could get a hint of a lightning from gusty winds, thunderstorms and intense rain in a short period.”

Uttiramerur, which witnessed the calamity, recorded 8 cm of rain on Tuesday and Wednesday. Mahabalipuram recorded 11 cm, while Mathuranthakam  5 cm.  As tropical regions are more prone to lightning, he advised people to get out of the open and lakes.

“Standing under a tree and near iron poles are not safe either as they are conduct electricity.” Director of Regional Meteorological Centre, S. Balachandran said thunderstorms and lightning are common in tropical regions. “They cannot be forecast. But their intensity could be known through lightning detectors, which are set up in two places of Maharashtra and is monitored by Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology,” he said.