An ongoing lightning strike detection and measurement program conducted by the Electricity Institute of Costa Rica (Spanish initials: ICE) has tallied more than 1.6 million atmospheric discharges across the country… Read more » Continue reading →
An ongoing lightning strike detection and measurement program conducted by the Electricity Institute of Costa Rica (Spanish initials: ICE) has tallied more than 1.6 million atmospheric discharges across the country since 2011, and Guanacaste seems to be the most electrifying province, followed by Alajuela and Heredia. With more than 600,000 recorded lightning strikes in 2012, Costa Rica is now one of lightning capitals of the world, along with Rwanda in Africa and the Tampa Bay region of Florida.
Lightning activity across Costa Rica in 2013 has been intense, but not as much as during last year’s green (rainy) season, which is known here as “invierno” (winter). In May 2012, the Costa Rica Star reported on a single storm that delivered 0.11 percent of the average daily global lightning strikes in just two hours. Here is an excerpt from that article:
The impressive thunderstorm that soaked great portions of the Central Valley on Wednesday evening delivered 2,000 lightning strikes, frying household appliances and electronics and striking fear in the hearts of dogs affected by canine astraphobia (fear of thunder, lightning and storms in general).
That storm was unique in the sense that it occurred at a later time of the day than it is usual for the season; but, climate is definitely changing in Costa Rica, where thunder and rain storms have become more intense in the micro climates of Guanacaste, the Central Valley, the occidental region of Alajuela, and parts of Puntarenas. The Caribbean coast of Costa Rica from the Port of Limon south to Sixaola is actually experiencing less rainfall and more temperate weather.
According to ICE’s Atmospheric Discharges Detection Network program, April 27 of 2012 has been one of the most electrifying days on record, with more than 20,000 lightning strikes detected mostly around Guanacaste. This region has always been considered one of the driest in Costa Rica, but that also seems to be changing with higher rainfall measurements. Rain is not a precondition for lightning in Costa Rica: In the ritzy western suburbs of Santa Ana and Lindora, lightning has been known to strike even during periods of low relative humidity.
ICE has invested more than $650,000 into its lightning detection network, which includes several sensors installed across Costa Rica that transmit data to a central database for further analysis. The company is using this data to decide on improvements to its electric and communications infrastructure, which is often affected by electrically-charged tropical storms. Over the last couple of year, the number of fatal lightning strike in Costa Rica has increased considerably.
Source: Diario Extra