Abstract
Abstract Long-term changes in the number of lightning deaths from 1900 to 1991 have been examined for the contiguous United States. The population-normalized series revealed an exponential decrease in the number of deaths per million people. This exponential trend is also present in the decrease of the rural U.S. population for the period. The two datasets agree remarkably well and this suggests the downward trend in lightning deaths resulted to a large extent from the reduction of the rural population. Superimposed on the overall downward trend in lightning deaths were fluctuations of two or three decades in duration. The patterns of these fluctuations are paralleled by nationwide changes in thunder-day frequencies and average surface temperature values. Thus, it appears that the lightning death fluctuations are climatically induced.
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
