Are lightning deaths increasing?

[Still Waters]

Lightning appears to be killing and injuring increasing numbers of people in developing countries, meteorologists and experts say.

The total casualties could even be higher than other weather-related disasters like floods, landslides and droughts.

http://www.bbc.co.uk...onment-26554974

[Davros of Skaro]

Just offer Zeus a sacrfice, and a burnt offering.

[Rlyeh]

Just offer Zeus a sacrfice, and a burnt offering.

How about Jesus?

http://www.fox19.com/Global/story.asp?S=12649244

[MissJatti]

yes lightening deaths are increasing because there are more and more mental nutcases in this world year by year...who believes and fear that rain will bring on a huge biblical flood, and sheltering under a tree will save them from the flood

[theotherguy]

Maybe people are getting more electrically conductive. Let's start randomly tazing people and find out.

[MissJatti]

Does that mean that lightning doesn't like nutcases?

but as we all know lightning certainly like trees, unless you are a bit loopy

Edited March 19, 2014 by SkeptcByMindBelievrByHeart

[MordorOrc]

I think it's because there are more people living in developing countries and it would therefore increase the risks of being struck. Either that or the bureaucratic processes of these countries are improving and records are being established of who is being killed and where.

[Rafterman]

I think it's because there are more people living in developing countries and it would therefore increase the risks of being struck. Either that or the bureaucratic processes of these countries are improving and records are being established of who is being killed and where.

From reading the article, it seems like, while increasing temperatures may be increasing the number of strikes, that environmental factors among these populations may be driving a good deal of it - what are these people doing differently than they were a few years ago?

[Von Bismarck]

Of course this will happen.

With global warming comes an increase in thunder storms. An increase in thunder storm would mean an increase in lighting strikes and so on. Basic science... This shouldn't be that hard to understand.

Also we are a lot more "connected" these days than, let's just say 10 years ago. It's globalisation and that would also give an increase in recorded death by lighting.

[Emma_Acid]

I heard that they were going up because more people are wearing headphones now than before - since the rinse in smartphones and those horrible white apple earphones that everyone wears.

The same amount of people get hit, but the deaths are rising due to how the headphones conduct the lightning into the head.

[Wickian]

Well when you have more people populating the same amount of space, it makes sense that lightning strikes are more likely to hit someone.

[taniwha]

People should eat less iron in their diet.