Hanoi and many neighboring provinces in northern Vietnam were hit by up to 10,551 lightning bolts, including 7,153 cloud-to-ground strikes, during intense rainfall on Wednesday morning, according to the National Hydrometeorological Network Center.

Between 6:00 am and 7:00 am, the Vietnamese capital and several parts of Hai Duong and Hung Yen Provinces witnessed 3,153 lightning bolts, comprising 2,322 cloud-to-ground lightning strikes, said Nguyen Duc Phuong from the center, which is under the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment’s Vietnam Meteorological and Hydrological Administration.

From 7:00 am to 8:00 am, these locales suffered as many as 4,060 lightning bolts.

During the 8:00-9:30 am period, the total number of lightning strikes torching the sky over northern Vietnam reached 4,356.

Phuong revealed that up to 10 lightning bolts happened concurrently in one second at 8:25 am.

In the capital city of Hanoi, lightning strikes especially hit the outlying districts of Thuong Tin, Phu Xuyen, Thanh Oai, and Ung Hoa with high density.

The national weather agency forecast that Hanoi could continue to experience rainfall of between 30mm and 50mm during the rest of the day, adding that rainfall may leave many inner-city streets waterlogged.

From Wednesday through Thursday night, the northern part of Vietnam and the north-central provinces of Thanh Hoa and Nghe An will likely see rainfall ranging from 40mm to 120mm.

Due to the soaking weather, authorities and residents should watch out for flash floods and landslides in mountainous areas, as well as flooding in low-lying and urban locations.

The weather expert added that the National Hydrometeorological Network Center is operating a lightning detection network being displayed at the website hymetnet.gov.vn.

People can visit this website to get the latest news on lightning and other weather conditions, Phuong said.

According to the Vietnam Meteorological and Hydrological Administration, thunder and lightning usually strike in heavy rains accompanied by strong winds.

Thunder and lightning happen with high density in the beginning of the rainy season, especially after a prolonged drought.

Vietnam is located in the center of the Asian thunderstorm region, which is one of the three thunderstorm centers in the world.

The thunderstorm season in the country normally takes place from April to October.

The average numbers of thundery days and hours reach 100 and 250 per year, respectively.

Moreover, this Southeast Asian country experiences up to two million lightning bolts each year, with high density recorded in northern mountainous areas and the southern region.

Therefore, people should follow these lightning safety tips recommended by meteorologists, such as not using phones while in a rice field or when it rains; staying away from waterlogged areas including bathrooms, pools, faucets, and metal objects like bicycles, motorcycles, and power transformers, as they are highly susceptible to lightning strikes; turning off electrical appliances to avoid possible electric shocks and fires; and keeping away from exterior windows and doors, as well as trees and the roofs of houses.

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