I've decided to start this blog about severe weather in South Africa as there aren't many of them around. Although this blog will cover severe weather in general, the main theme will be mostly lightning. Let me first start by clarifying that I am not a meteorologist nor am I an expert in severe weather, or any other kind of weather. I'm just a guy who's fascinated by severe weather and the power and beauty that it displays.
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| Bright lightning flashes over Moreleta Park in Pretoria on 31 December 2011 |
Anyway, as most of us know, lightning a one of the deadliest natural phenomenon in the world and kills a large number of people every year. South Africa is considered to be a lightning prone country, with a high number of lightning strikes recorded across the country every year. I'm fortunate to live in the part of the country that experiences one of the highest number of lightning strikes. Being located in the Highveld region of South Africa, Gauteng is struck by numberous thunderstorms during the spring and summer period from around October to March every year. Some of these thunderstorms can be very intense and often very severe, bringing heavy rain, lightning, strong winds, sometimes large hail and occasionally even tornadoes.
Lightning however, being the most common of the features of thunderstorms in South Africa is considered to be the big threat when summer storms approach. This article by Morne Gijben highlights just how important lightning research is in South Africa. http://www.sajs.co.za/sites/default/files/publications/pdf/740-8137-1-PB.pdf.
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| Intra-cloud lightning from the same New Years Eve storm in Pretoria. |
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