India: 61,000 lightning strikes jolt Odisha in just 2 hours, several dead

Astonishingly, the Indian state of Odisha was struck by a staggering 61,000 lightning strikes in a span of approximately two hours, media reports said, quoting the data from the state authority. The strikes particularly hit the capital region on Saturday (2 September).The city of Bhubaneswar and its surrounding areas bore the brunt of the relentless lightning strikes, which continued unabated throughout the afternoon thunderstorms.

Statistics from OSDMA

The Odisha State Disaster Management Authority (OSDMA), using the social media platform X (formerly Twitter), revealed that by 5:30 pm, there were 36,597 cloud-to-cloud lightning occurrences, while a daunting 25,753 cloud-to-ground lightning strikes were recorded.

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"Total lightning strikes across Odisha till 5.30pm today (2nd September ) are: 1. CC : 36,597
2. CG : 25,753," OSDMA wrote on X.

Loss of lives

Lightning struck in six districts of Odisha on Saturday, resulting in the tragic loss of ten lives and causing injuries to three individuals, according to the Special Relief Commissioner (SRC), responsible for disaster management in the state.

The casualties were as follows - one person in Angul district, two in Bolangir, one in Boudh, one in Jagatsinghpur, one in Dhenkanal, and four in Khordha.

Additionally, the SRC reported that the three injured individuals were from the Khordha district.

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In a post shared on September 2, SRC Odisha said, "Today (02.09.2023), 10 persons died & 3 persons injured in 6 districts due to lightning. Angul -01, Bolangir -02, Boudh- 01, Jagatsinghpur -01, Dhenkanal -01, and Khordha – 04 (and 03 injured)."

“Lightning has become a common occurrence because of intense heat and high moisture content in the air, caused by advancing air from the Bay of Bengal. Intense heat waves coupled with other climatic changes have intensified lightning strikes in Orissa…. A sudden flow of moisture from Bengal has led to the (recent) increase in lightning strikes in Odisha,” former director of the Bhubaneswar centre of the India Meteorological Department (IMD) SC Sahu reportedly said.

It's worth noting that earlier in May, three individuals, including a woman, tragically lost their lives when lightning struck various locations within the Saranakula police limits in Nayagarh district.

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“Widespread rainfall can occur in the next 48 hours... Thunderstorms and lightning are also expected to occur in parts of North Odisha... Five districts are warned of heavy to very heavy rainfall: Dhenkanal, Angul, Kalahandi, Boudh, and Kandhamal... People have been warned to take safe shelter during lightning and thunderstorms... People should stay away from trees and water bodies," Senior scientist of IMD Bhubaneswar Uma Shankar Das, told ANI news agency on September 4.

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