Kifuka

Kifuka is a village in South Kivu, Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).[1] The village, located at 970 metres (3,180 ft) altitude in a mountainous region, is the nearest populated place to the site which receives the second most annual lightning strikes of any place worldwide, being struck by 158 lightning bolts per square kilometer each year (409 per sq mi).[2]

Kifuka
Village
Kifuka is located in Democratic Republic of the Congo
Kifuka
Kifuka
Coordinates: 2°46′0″S 27°44′0″E
Elevation
970 m (3,180 ft)
Time zoneGMT+2

Lightning

Kifuka's high density of lightning is a result of warm Atlantic air traveling over the Congo rainforest before colliding with cool mountain air. These masses generate static charges, resulting in lightning.[3] Although the DRC is subject to seasonal monsoons, the lightning occurs in high density year-round, with added intensity from October to March and decreased activity from June to August. Outside of Kifuga, the Albertine Rift, particularly the Virunga mountains, are also a source of high-density lightning strikes nearby and thunderstorm development.[4]

While Kifuka was once considered the most active area for lightning on earth, Guinness World Records has since dubbed the Catatumbo lightning phenomenon as producing more bolts per square kilometer.[5]

References
  1. Kifuka at GEOnet Names Server
  2. Holladay, April (December 12, 2005). "Where lightning strikes most, and how it happens". USA Today. Retrieved November 5, 2013.
  3. "Kifuka - place where lightning strikes most often | Wondermondo". www.wondermondo.com. 7 November 2010. Retrieved 22 November 2022.
  4. Serge Soula; Jean K. Kigosti; Christelle Barthe. "Lightning climatology in the Congo Basin". ResearchGate. Retrieved 23 November 2022.
  5. Ore, Diego (7 November 2014). "The 'Catatumbo Lightning': Venezuela's eternal storm". Reuters. Retrieved 23 November 2022.

2°46′00″S 27°44′00″E


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