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Lightning discharges in June 2021 in the night sky over the Bavarian town of Grasbrunn
Photo: Matthias Balk / dpa
The Bavarian district of Starnberg is the frontrunner - at least when it comes to the highest lightning density.
Nowhere in Germany did it flash more frequently in the past year.
This is what it says in the Siemens Blitzatlas 2021, which will be published on Monday.
According to the ranking, Starnberg has 7.6 lightning strikes per square kilometer.
And leaves the second-placed urban district of Augsburg clearly behind.
It comes to 5.9 flashes per square kilometer.
The Baden-Württemberg Bodenseekreis district is in third place (also 5.9).
He is the only non-Bavarian among the twelve districts and cities with the most flashes.
At the state level, Baden-Württemberg is still at the top with a lightning density of 2.61, ahead of Bavaria, which comes in second with 2.18 flashes per square kilometer.
They are followed by Schleswig-Holstein and Hamburg with 1.67 and 1.66.
The nationwide average was 1.4 flashes per square kilometer.
Where lightning flashes least - and when most often
Those who are afraid of lightning were best looked after in Solingen last year: With 0.18 lightning strikes per square kilometer, there were relatively few strikes here.
Brandenburg an der Havel with 0.20 and the urban district of Bremen with 0.26 were also extremely low in lightning in 2021.
At the federal state level, Bremen, Saxony-Anhalt and Saarland were the least affected in relation to their size.
Overall, the number of lightning strikes in Germany in 2021 rose by almost a quarter to around 491,000 compared to the previous year.
Every eleventh of them struck on June 29th, the most lightning day in Germany.
At that time, storms had caused severe damage in parts of the Federal Republic.
Overall, more than half of all lightning strikes last year in June.
The lightning is measured using around 160 interconnected measuring stations in Europe.
Although there are up to 350 kilometers between the sensors, the lightning strikes can be determined with an accuracy of up to 50 meters.
In the video: This is what happens when you are well protected and are struck by lightning
In a European comparison, Germany, with its 1.4 lightning strikes per square kilometer, ranks 18th out of 43 countries.
The highest lightning densities last year were in Bosnia-Herzegovina, Slovenia and Montenegro.
The lowest in Ireland, Norway and the UK.
aar/dpa
