Monsoon Seasons and Ground Stroke Density in Peninsular Malaysia: A GIS-Based Study for 2023

The technique for creating Ground Stroke Density (GSD) maps utilizing data from Peninsular Malaysia in 2023 is presented in this study. The GSD maps aim to identify high-activity areas and analyze lightning distribution patterns. This was achieved by combining a detailed base map of Peninsular Malaysia with lightning stroke data from Vaisala GLD360 with advanced Geographic Information System (GIS) software. This study has demonstrated the effectiveness of the GSD mapping technique for categorising lightning distribution and locating hotspots during the monsoon season. The total number of lightning strokes in the Year 2023 is 4,405,668 counts, with negative strokes of 3,799,211 counts (86%) and positive strokes of 606,457 counts (14%). The Inter-Monsoon season has the highest average of lightning strokes, occurring in April to May and October to November with the highest peak observed in April until May 2023, consisting of 1,307,170 (29.7% with a total of negative lightning strokes) were recorded based on historical data and the second highest was observed in October to November 2023 with consist of 950,577 (21.6% with a total of negative strokes). The hot spot area identified in the Western region consisted of Putrajaya with 165 strokes/km2/over 1 year (27.4%), Kuala Lumpur with 120 strokes/km2/over 1 year (27.8%), and Selangor with 65 strokes/km2/over 1 year (10.7%). These findings are significant for utility and protection engineers, as they may greatly increase the reliability of electrical networks by lowering the frequency of power outages brought on by lightning strikes.