PE Weather office pours over data from massive electrical storm

01 Feb 2016 | Admin Author

The Port Elizabeth branch of the SA Weather Services says there were close on 3 000 lightning strikes in the early hours of Wednesday in a 20-kilometre radius of the Port Elizabeth airport.

Scientific data from one of the city's most spectacular electrical storms was released on Friday.

Weather office spokesperson Garth Sampson says the lightning strikes are measured with hi-tech equipment which also determines the exact location of each impact with the ground.

"A very interesting fact that listeners should be aware of...everybody thinks that there were 10/20 or 50 lightning strikes on Wendesday but in fact it was 2950 strikes.

Sampson says he is not aware of any major damage caused by the storm, apart from alarm companies having their hands full and electronic gadgets being knocked out.