Slow-Moving Rain Clouds Increase Thunder and Lightning Frequency
Heavy Rainfall Triggers Heavy Rain Advisory
Heavy Rain Warning Issued in Gyeongbuk Area Amid Torrential Downpour
A teacher undergoing training at Chosun University was suddenly struck by lightning and transported to a hospital.
According to Yonhap News and others, at around 12:04 PM on the 5th, a high school teacher, Mr. A (32), collapsed after being struck by lightning in front of the College of Education at Chosun University.
After receiving the report, the fire department arrived and found Mr. A in cardiac arrest. He was immediately rushed to the hospital. Mr. A regained pulse and breathing after treatment at the hospital but is reported to still be unconscious.
The fire department estimates that Mr. A was struck by lightning while he had stepped outside during a break in his training course. By 3 PM that day, a total of 39 lightning strikes were recorded in Gwangju.
Due to unstable atmospheric conditions, lightning has been frequently observed recently in the Gwangju and Jeonnam regions. This has caused malfunctions in weather equipment and power outages in factories.
In particular, on the 16th of last month, a total of 4,500 lightning strikes were observed in this area from midnight to 9 PM. Last year, there were 4,916 lightning strikes in July alone, with 91% of them occurring in just one day.
The Korea Meteorological Administration points to the slow movement speed of rain clouds (precipitation clouds) as the reason for the increase in lightning frequency. Due to the influence of a high-pressure system located near the East Coast, the rain clouds cannot move eastward and remain over one area for a long time, increasing the frequency of thunder and lightning.
In fact, around 1 PM that day, the Gwangju Regional Meteorological Office issued a heavy rain advisory with thunder and lightning for four cities and counties in Gwangju and Jeonnam. A heavy rain advisory is issued when the rainfall is expected to be 60 mm or more in 3 hours, 90 mm or more in 3 hours, or 110 mm or more in 12 hours, or 180 mm or more in 12 hours, respectively.
The regions affected by abnormal climate are not limited to Gwangju and Jeonnam. At 6:35 PM that day, the Korea Meteorological Administration issued a heavy rain warning for Sangju and Seongju in Gyeongbuk and a heavy rain advisory for Gyeongsan.
By 5 PM that day, 57.7 mm of heavy rain fell in Uiseong, Gyeongbuk, marking the second-highest hourly rainfall ever recorded. Other amounts include 31 mm in Bonghwa (Bonghwa-eup), 24.5 mm in Mungyeong (Maseong-myeon), 24 mm in Andong (Gilan-myeon), and 21 mm in Cheongsong (Hyeonseo-myeon).
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