Fatal lightning strike at Pasir Ris beach occurred while thunderstorm was a few kilometres away: Met Service

SINGAPORE: A lightning strike was detected at the Pasir Ris beach area at about 4.46pm last Sunday (Jul 5), when the main thunderstorm cloud was still a few kilometres away, the Meteorological Service Singapore (MSS) said on Thursday (Jul 9).

Responding to CNA's queries following the death of a 24-year-old man who was struck by lightning while kayaking and paddleboarding with a group of people off Pasir Ris Beach last Sunday, the agency said lightning can strike some distance from the main thunderstorm cloud even when there are no showers.

Staff and witnesses had told Mr Berwin Tan, chief operating officer of Outdoor Adventures, where the man worked, that the skies had appeared clear before the incident and that no lightning warning siren had been activated.

However, an expert CNA spoke to noted that lightning can travel up to 10km, meaning dangerous strikes are possible even when skies overhead appear clear.

The Met Service said thunderstorms had first developed near Yishun at about 3.20pm that day and moved north-westwards, prompting forecasts of thundery showers for many locations in western, central and northern Singapore.

At about 4.30pm, thunderstorms developed around Punggol and moved westward away from Pasir Ris before rapidly intensifying into a large storm cell over the Straits of Johor.

A forecast of thundery showers for Pasir Ris town centre was issued at around the same time.

The Met Service said cloud-to-ground lightning was subsequently detected and that users of the myENV app who had subscribed to lightning alerts would have received notifications depending on their selected settings.

Its lightning detection system, which covers Singapore and surrounding areas within a range of 20km to 30km, recorded 1,569 lightning strikes on Jul 5.

"Data collected over the last 10 years showed that between 6,400 and 39,600 lightning strikes were detected over these areas in July, while the annual number of lightning strikes ranged from approximately 216,000 to 380,000. Our records do not indicate any discernible trend in lightning occurrences over the years," the Met Service, which is under the National Environment Agency (NEA), said.

It also noted that Singapore has “a high incidence of lightning, with an average of 176 lightning days per year”.

A lightning day is defined as a day when at least one lightning occurrence is visually observed at the Changi climate station.

Police previously said they received a call for help at around 4.50pm from Pasir Ris Road, just off the beach. Mr Mikhail Benyamin, a seasoned sea sports instructor, was taken to hospital in an unconscious state, where he later died.

Mr Mikhail's death has prompted safety reviews among outdoor sports operators, with one telling CNA that the incident had heightened awareness within the industry.