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When lightning strikes
\"Lightning can strike in the same place twice. It's for this reason that readers need to learn how to avoid being in dangerous places during a storm with lightning! While a spectacular weather phenomenon to witness, lightning can cause destruction and even death. Readers learn what causes lightning and other science content regarding the occurrence of lightning, including its connection to rain and thunder.\"--Provided by publisher.
Book
How Much Lightning Actually Strikes the United States?
The number of cloud-to-ground (CG) flashes over the contiguous United States (CONUS) has been estimated to be from as small as 25 million per year to as many as 40 million. In addition, many CG flashes contact the ground in more than one place. To clarify these values, recent data from the National Lightning Detection Network (NLDN) have been examined since the network is performing well enough to make precise updates to the number of CG flashes and their associated ground contact points. The average number of CG flashes is calculated to be about 23.4 million per year over the CONUS, and the average number of ground contact points is calculated as 36.8 million per year. Knowledge of these two parameters is critical to lightning protection standards, as well as better understanding of the effects of lightning on forest fire initiation, geophysical interactions, human safety, and applications that benefit from knowing that a single flash may transfer charge to the ground in multiple, widely spaced locations. Sensitivity tests to assess the effects of misclassification of CG and in-cloud (IC) lightning are also made to place bounds on these estimates, and the likely uncertainty is a few percent.
Journal Article
Lightning and thunder
\"A book for young readers about lightning and thunder\"-- Provided by publisher.
Book
The Urban Lightning Effect Revealed With Geostationary Lightning Mapper Observations
Within the Charlotte, North Carolina, to Atlanta, Georgia, megaregion (Charlanta), the Atlanta metropolitan area has been shown to augment proximal cloud‐to‐ground (CG) lightning occurrence. Although numerous studies have documented this “urban lightning effect” (ULE) with regard to CG lightning, relatively few have investigated urban effects on distributions of total lightning (TL). Moreover, there has yet to be a study of the ULE using TL observations from the Geostationary Lightning Mapper (GLM). In an effort to fill this gap, we investigated spatial distributions of TL around the cities of Atlanta, GA, Greenville, SC, and Charlotte, NC, using GLM data collected during the warm seasons of 2018–2021. Analyses reveal augmentation of TL intensity and frequency over the major cities of Atlanta and Charlotte, with a diminished urban signal over the smaller city of Greenville. This work also demonstrated the potential efficacy of the emerging satellite‐based TL climatology in ULE studies. Plain Language Summary Studies using ground‐based lightning detection networks have revealed an “urban lightning effect” (ULE) around major cities. In 2016, the U.S. launched a weather satellite with a unique lightning mapping instrument. This study, possibly for the first time, demonstrated the ability to utilize space‐based observation of total lightning to detect the ULE within the Charlotte, North Carolina, to Atlanta, Georgia, urban corridor. The study also paves the way for future ULE analyses as the satellite lightning data record lengthens. Key Points The urban lightning effect (ULE) is detectable in Geostationary Lightning Mapper total lightning observations The ULE is most discernible in the larger metropolitan areas of the Charlotte, NC, to Atlanta, GA, urban corridor The emerging Geostationary Lightning Mapper data set enables a new generation of urban lightning studies as the record lengthens
Journal Article
Thunder and lightning
\"In Thunder and lightning, children learn about different types of lightning, what thunder and lightning are, what causes lightning, and how to stay safe when thunderstorms occur.\"--Provided by publisher.
Book
Upward lightning observations from towers in Rapid City, South Dakota and comparison with National Lightning Detection Network data, 2004-2010
We report on upward lightning observations from ten tall towers (91–191 m) in Rapid City, South Dakota, USA and compare with National Lightning Detection Network (NLDN) data. A total of 81 upward flashes were observed from 2004–2010 using GPS time‐stamped optical sensors, and in all but one case, visible flash activity preceded the development of the upward leaders. Time‐correlated analysis showed that the NLDN recorded an event within 50 km of towers and within 500 ms prior to upward leader development from the tower(s) for 83% (67/81) of the upward flashes. A preceding positive cloud‐to‐ground stroke (+CG) was detected in 57% (46/81) of the cases, and a preceding positive intracloud flash (+IC) in 23% (19/81) of the cases. However, 8 of the 19 NLDN‐indicated +IC events were actually +CG strokes based on optical observations. Preceding negative intracloud flashes (−IC) were recorded for 2% (2/81) of the cases. Analysis also showed that for 44% (36/81) of the upward flashes, the NLDN reported subsequent negative cloud‐to‐ground (−CG) strokes and/or −IC events at one or more tower locations. Of the 151 subsequent events, 70% (105/151) were −CG reports and 30% (46/151) were listed as −IC events. The geometric mean/median location accuracy and peak current for subsequent events were 194 m/206 m and −12.9 kA/−12.4 kA respectively. These correlated observations suggest that a majority of the upward lightning flashes were triggered by a preceding flash with the dominant triggering type being the +CG flash. Key Points Summer season upward positive leaders triggered by nearby +CG flashes Impulsive connections by recoil leaders that form on cutoff upward branches Less than half upward positive leaders produced NLDN‐indicated impulsive events
Journal Article
The European lightning location system EUCLID – Part 2: Observations
Cloud-to-ground (CG) lightning data from the European Cooperation for Lightning Detection (EUCLID) network over the period 2006–2014 are explored. Mean CG flash densities vary over the European continent, with the highest density of about 6 km−2 yr−1 found at the intersection of the borders between Austria, Italy and Slovenia. The majority of lightning activity takes place between May and September, accounting for 85 % of the total observed CG activity. Furthermore, the thunderstorm season reaches its highest activity in July, while the diurnal cycle peaks around 15:00 UTC. A difference between CG flashes over land and sea becomes apparent when looking at the peak current estimates. It is found that flashes with higher peak currents occur in greater proportion over sea than over land.
Journal Article