Lightning‐flash locations related to the precipitation pattern of the storm

Abstract

Triangulation from paired sferics (100 ± 50 kHz) received at stations 57 km apart gave 42 map locations of lightning flashes belonging to a thunderstorm well-defined on weather radar. This storm was one of many in a long line along the leading edge of a band of light stratiform precipitation (snow above 3 km). The band was 9 km high and 60 km wide, and the storms were embedded in it. The convective region of the storm studied had a north-south extent of 20 km, the east-west extent averaging two-thirds as much. Cumulus heights progressed from 3 km on the west to 7 ± 1 km on the east. Two-thirds of the lightning flashes were in the convective region. The remaining third were in 160 km 2 of the light stratiform precipitation immediately west of it. RÉSUMÉ La triangulation d'atmosphériques conjuguées (100 ± 50 kHz) reçues à des stations distantes de 57 km a donné sur la carte 42 endroits d'éclairs appartenant à un orage bien défini sur radar météorologique. Cet orage était l'un des nombreux orages observés le long du bord antérieur d'une bande de précipitations stratiformes légères (neige au-dessus de 3 km). Cette bande avait 9 km de hauteur sur 60 km de largeur et les orages y étaient enchâssés. La région convective de l'orage étudié avait un axe nord-sud de 20 km et un axe est-ouest représentant les deux tiers de cette distance. La hauteur des cumulus allait de 3 km à l'ouest à 7 ± 1 km à l'est. Les deux tiers des éclairs ont eu lieu dans la région convective. Le reste s'est produit dans 160 km 2 de la bande de précipitations stratiformes légères immédiatement à l'ouest de cette région.

Identification of thunderclouds from weather radar echoes

“…In o th er wo rd s , the observed r adar echoes show only the s pecifi c r a infall int ns it y r ea . 0 relat ion s hip b tw e n th e EL a rea a nd th a rea of lightning di scharges in th e thund rclouds has been clarified so fa r [2][3][4][5] _ Howev e r, it i s co nv enien t to use the EL level for defining a n a r ea of lightning discharges, after the definition of thunderclouds ha s b n s t ablished .…”

An objective technique for the delineation and extrapolation of thunderstorms from GOES satellite data

“…0148-0227/85/004D-1510505.00 relation between the sferics rates of the storms and the "modified active" area as a function of range. Subsequent investigations by Stansbury and Marshall [1978] and Stansbury et al [1979], who operated two sferics receivers, concentrated on the relation between lightning location and the 3-D radar structure of the storm. The work by Marshall and Radhakant remains the more relevant work, providing ground truth in the form of easily obtainable radar maps outlining regions of intense electrical activity.…”