Extreme Weather

As I mentioned in my last blog, Mass Waste Hazards, Venezuela is subject to heavy rains, especially during rainy season which runs from mid-April to December and even outside of the rainy season. Heavy rainfall is the cause of the majority of their landslides and causes extremely destructive flooding. There have been mudslides in many areas of the country, which have particularly affected shantytowns built on hillsides, leaving many people homeless and their roads damaged and undrivable. Hurricanes do occur near Venezuela but are not actually much of a threat, especially near the capital city Caracas, as it is sheltered by the Avila mountain range, and hurricanes lose their strength as they move over land.

Venezuela does have some extreme lightening over Lake Maracaibo, although this is more of an attraction rather than an actual threat to the country. The Catatumbo Lightning, also known as the “everlasting storm”, is seasonal lightning around Lake Maracaibo (13,200 square kilometers) in northern Venezuela. The region endures more than 160 storm nights a year! It poses no danger to Venezuelans and is actually a popular tourist attraction. The cause of the storm is thought to be a combination of topography and wing patterns. Lake Maracaibo’s unique shape and location forces warm air from the Caribbean up nearby mountains. When the warm air meets the colder mountain air, it creates the perfect condition for lightening.

 

 

https://www.severe-weather.eu/theory/the-place-with-the-most-lightning-in-the-world/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Catatumbo_lightning