Spark ran - 3,834 lightning strikes recorded in Luxembourg in 2024
Alex Shuper, Unsplash
The year 2024 was marked by unusually high lightning activity in Luxembourg. According to the BELLS system, in which the MeteoLux meteorological service participates, 3,834 lightning discharges with a power of at least 5 kA were recorded in the country. This is 43 per cent higher than the annual average for the last ten years of 2,674 discharges.
Special attention of experts was drawn to the lightning strike recorded on 29 June, the power of which was 189 kiloamperes. This discharge was among the most intense thunderstorm events of recent years, although the absolute record for lightning intensity in Luxembourg - 342 kA - belongs to 12 August 2019.
As reported by L'Essentiel, the regions with the highest lightning density in 2024 included Steinfort, Koerich, Hobscheid as well as Feulen, Heiderscheid and Scheidel. However, the overall lightning activity was evenly distributed throughout the country and MeteoLux assessed that there was no pronounced localisation of extreme weather events.
Luxembourg's participation in the BELLS system ensures high monitoring accuracy: the station at Reuler (near Clervaux) records atmospheric electrical discharges in real time and allows the formation of a picture of meteorological hazards throughout the country.
Forecasters estimate that these spikes in activity may be related to more frequent transient weather patterns characteristic of the region's changing climate.
