Lightning strikes claimed about 70 lives in northern India last weekend, but Bengaluru is safe, according to the weather office. “Such strikes occur between April and mid-June during the active monsoon. Since the temperature in Bengaluru has decreased, we need not worry about any serious occurrence of thunderstorms,” says C S Patil, director of India Meteorological Department.
The city’s present high wind speed may not allow lightning to develop, he notes. “People only need to watch out for the lightning that hits the earth’s surface, because as long as it is happening at the upper level, we are safe,” Patil explains. The department will issue an alert in case of severe thunderstorms, he told Metrolife.
Lightning alert app
Sidilu, an app developed by Karnataka State Natural Disaster Monitoring Centre, provides advance warning of lightning strikes. “The app sends a warning 45 minutes before a lightning strike, and even gives advice on precautionary measures. I request everyone to download it to stay prepared,” an official says. There are no deaths recorded from lightning strikes in urban and rural Bengaluru this year, says Manoj Rajan, commissioner, disaster management.
(Sidilu is free to download on Google Play and Apple Store)
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