Areas in red show the world's tropical zone.
Cambodia is circled in Dark red.
Image from canbypublications.com/
Located in Southeast Asia, Cambodia lies close to the equator with a latitude/longitude of 13° 0' 0" N / 105° 0' 0" E. Being located in the tropical zone of the world, there are two seasons: the wet and the dry. The rainy season, giving 75% of the annual rainfall, runs from May until October while the dry season goes from October until April. Using the Köppen Climate Classification scale, Cambodia has a Tropical Monsoon climate (Am), based on the country’s major climate group and climate precipitation.
A rainy day in Phnom Penh; typical during the monsoon season
Image from Andy Brouwer at cambolightning.com/
Thunderstorms, created by unstable air and moisture, and lightning, which frequently occurs during thunderstorms as the result of positive and negative charges colliding, are common during Cambodia’s wet season. The lightning is especially dangerous, as 95 people in Cambodia died from being struck in 2008. Many Cambodians are superstitious and believe that the country’s high number of lightning deaths each year are the result of people who have broken promises, have bad luck, or have moles on their calves. Many also believe that they can revive those struck by lightning by covering them with white blankets, jumping over them three times, or placing them in bed and lighting a fire underneath them. The more scientific theories regarding the high numbers of deaths are that there is increased rainfall in the area due to global climate change. Since it rains nearly every day during the wet season, it is also possible that many Cambodians do not take thunderstorms very seriously and continue on with their daily activities instead of seeking shelter.
Lightning off the southern coast of Kampot
Image from ki-media.blogspot.com/
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