Beware the Buggane -- a mischievous spirit who blows the roofs off buildings, or the ghostly Moddey Dhoo -- a nocturnal black dog associated with electricalstorms.
Meteorologists have yet to definitively explain why Catatumbo produces the most persistent electricalstorms on the planet, but the most widely accepted theory is that trade winds from the Caribbean blow warm air over brackish Lake Maracaibo before hitting cool air from the Andes.
The rapid expansion of the electrical grid in recent decades, coupled with the growing reliance of society on relatively fragile electrical devices, has greatly increased the danger posed by solar storms.