Early March Storms Prove Fatal for Uganda

A brutal storm ripped through Ntungamo, Uganda bringing with it dangerous hail on 5 March 2016. The hail destroyed valuable crops and displaced over 100 families in the region.

Earth Networks Total Lightning Network detected over 1,200 cloud-to-ground (yellow) and in-cloud (purple) lightning strikes in the region during the hours of the storm. In-cloud lightning is often a precursor to severe weather conditions, like the hail present in this storm.

9 March 2016: To the northeast, residents near Lake Kyoga faced tragedy when severe weather struck just a few days following the Ntungamo hailstorm. 3 fishermen went missing when strong waves created by a storm hit their boat as they engaged in their daily fishing activities. The fishermen were all residents of Irima Parish in Kalungi Sub-country.

The image above shows proximity alerting of both in-cloud (purple) and cloud-to-ground (yellow) lightning strikes that had already happened on Lake Kyoga by the time the fishermen went missing at 2pm. This particular storm brought the region over 2,700 lightning strikes.

11 March 2016: The third tragedy from this week of storms in Uganda happened on Lake Victoria when two men drowned in separate incidents during a windy storm. The video below, powered by Earth Networks Total Lightning Network, shows the lightning over Lake Victoria during the time the bodies were found.

The first fatality happened when a strong gust of wind capsized a boat of three fishermen. Two of those in the boat survived. Earth Networks sent out two Dangerous Thunderstorm Alerts during the storm to warn those on the coast of Lake Victoria that dangerous weather conditions like lightning and high gusts of wind were expected.