Thunderstorms in Nepal

Thunderstorms in Nepal are common before, as well as during, its monsoon season, so between March and May, but can last through September. These storms, as we learned, typically occur in the late afternoon to evening because of daytime heating of the earth. Specifically, these occur in the lowlands of Terai, where the thunderstorms typically pass overnight and leave my morning time, and in the Himalayas as the warm humidity rises into the cooler air above. Specifically before monsoon season, these thunderstorms can bring with them hail, particularly at higher altitudes. These cause lots of damage to homes and crops property and agricultural damage. 


http://www.familyhomestaykathmandu.com/weather-in-nepal.html

https://bluegreenatlas.com/climate/nepal_climate.html

Preparation for thunder and lightning should include measures like trimming tall or unstable trees that could fall; investing in lightning protection systems (though I am not sure many people would have access to these or be able to afford them); making weather reports available for the public; ensuring the public knows to stay away from water sources, high terrain (so especially for those who live higher up in the Himalayas), or wide open areas; encourage people to stay away from things that conduct electricity both inside and outside the house; encourage residents to go inside when they hear thunder or see lightning - being able to hear thunder means there is a potential for lightning to strike near you. 

Nepal has an initiative called SERVIR-HKH that finished its work early this year, but still has resources available to the public and everything they developed still continues to function. They work on multiple aspects including food security, disasters, weather, and more. This includes an early warning system for extreme weather. Part of this initiative was also training policy makers, police, forest rangers, the Red Cross, and even teachers about disaster preparedness using this system’s tools. I do not see that there are any mapping websites specific to Nepal, but there are global ones to go to for tracking thunderstorms: AccuWeather, Zoom Earth, MeteoBlue, Thunderstorm.ws, and the Weather Channel. 

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