EXTREME WEATHER

Since we are allowed to do this week's blog on any country, I chose 
VENEZUELA!

According to a study by NASA, Venezuela has been revealed as the lightning capital of the world, with storms lighting up the skies almost 300 nights each year.

Place where lightning strikes 28 times in a minute - OrissaPOST

Venezuela experiences what they call Catatumbo lightning frequently. This refers to continuous/high frequency lightning from a near-daily thunderstorm complex that forms in the Catatumbo River in northern part of Venezuela. These storms occur in the same place night after night.Scientists believe the storm, which occurs approximately 3 miles above the surface of the water, is caused by a perfect storm of cold and warm air currents that occurs exactly where the lightning forms. The heat and moisture collected across the plains create electrical charges and as the air masses are destabilized by the mountain ridges, it results in thunderstorm activity. Many scientists have proposed that this disruption was caused by climate change, deforestation and the development of agriculture around Lake Maracaibo.



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Comments

  1. Very interesting! Did you find out if they do anything in particular to address this hazard? how do they warn the population?..

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