Which areas in Mexico are most prone to lightning strikes?

In Mexico, lightning strikes are linked to outdoor and rural activities , especially in rural areas, according to Alejandro Jaramillo, an academic at the Institute of Atmospheric Sciences and Climate Change at the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM) .

Jaramillo recalls a case that occurred on July 24, 2015, in the community of El Encinal, Guanajuato.

A peasant family was working in the cornfields when the sky suddenly changed and the winds began to howl, heralding the arrival of a storm. Often, suspending work is not an option, as the household's livelihood depends on it.

When the storm finally unleashed its fury, the family sought shelter under a tree, but it was struck by lightning. The incident resulted in the deaths of three women and four children, and left two others injured. This event exemplifies the risks faced by rural communities , where economic need and ignorance lead people to make dangerous decisions.

Lightning is a massive atmospheric electrical discharge that occurs between clouds, the air, and the Earth's surface . In addition to fires, these phenomena pose other risks.

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Jaramillo explains that although it may seem like something out of a movie, deaths from lightning do happen. Between 1998 and 2021, it claimed the lives of 2,573 people in the country. UNAM specialists have studied the phenomenon and created a lightning death risk map to identify which areas are most vulnerable.

The map includes the phenomenon, where lightning strikes occur most, regions with the most days of thunderstorm activity, and a section on social vulnerability . The vulnerability factor affects the type of housing , knowledge of these phenomena, and other factors.

For example, access to services, access to hospitals, educational level, socioeconomic status—much of the risk in Mexico stems from a lack of education, a lack of knowledge of how to react and how to act during a thunderstorm.

The study by the UNAM Institute of Atmospheric Sciences and Climate Change, published in the journal Weather, Climate and Society, indicates that the areas most at risk are those located in the central and southern regions of the country.

It also highlights that the most affected states were Mexico , with 539 deaths , Oaxaca , with 206, Michoacán , with 168, and Guerrero , with 133. "The important thing is that if there's electrical activity or a thunderstorm nearby, you have to seek shelter," Jaramillo says.

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