TY - JOUR
T1 - Characteristics of Lightning Within Electrified Snowfall Events Using Lightning Mapping Arrays
AU - Schultz, Christopher J.
AU - Lang, Timothy J.
AU - Bruning, Eric C.
AU - Calhoun, Kristin M.
AU - Harkema, Sebastian
AU - Curtis, Nathan
N1 - Funding Information:
C. Schultz and T. Lang would like to thank NASA Science Mission Directorate Science Innovation Funds for funding this work. Lightning mapping array data can be obtained through the Global Hydrology Resource Center (GHRC; https://ghrc.nsstc.nasa.gov/home/), which hosts both the DCLMA and the NALMA. The central Oklahoma data can be obtained through the National Severe Storms Laboratory (https://www. nssl.noaa.gov/projects/lma.php). The NLDN was purchased via Vaisala, Inc. (https://www.vaisala.com/en). The XLMA viewing software can be obtained from New Mexico Tech (ftp://zeus.nmt. edu/thomas/). The authors would also like to recognize Kyle Wiens for provid ing the ANGEL software package that was used to overlay LMA data with radar data (http://www.atmo.ttu.edu/wiens/ IDL/index.html). Sounding information is available from the University of Wyoming (http://weather.uwyo.edu/ upperair/sounding.html) or the University of Alabama-Huntsville Atmospheric Science Department (https://www.uah.edu/science/depart ments/atmospheric-science/). ARMOR radar data are available from the University of Alabama-Huntsville Department of Atmospheric Science (https://www.nsstc.uah.edu/armor/ about.php). GLM data will be available within the NOAA CLASS system in 2018 (https://www.class.ngdc.noaa.gov/saa/ products/welcome). The authors would like to recognize Jeff Bailey, Don MacGorman, and Scott Rudlosky for continual support and maintenance of the North Alabama, Oklahoma, and Washington DC LMA sensor networks. The authors gratefully acknowledge Lawrence Carey and Kevin Knupp for the use of the ARMOR data in Figure 5. The authors thank Steven J. Goodman and Geoffrey Stano for assistance with the GLM data highlighted in this study. Finally, the authors would like to thank constructive reviews from three anonymous reviewers that improved the content and structure of this article.
Publisher Copyright:
©2018. American Geophysical Union. All Rights Reserved.
PY - 2018/2/27
Y1 - 2018/2/27
N2 - This study examined 34 lightning flashes within four separate thundersnow events derived from lightning mapping arrays (LMAs) in northern Alabama, central Oklahoma, and Washington DC. The goals were to characterize the in-cloud component of each lightning flash, as well as the correspondence between the LMA observations and lightning data taken from national lightning networks like the National Lightning Detection Network (NLDN). Individual flashes were examined in detail to highlight several observations within the data set. The study results demonstrated that the structures of these flashes were primarily normal polarity. The mean area encompassed by this set of flashes is 375 km2, with a maximum flash extent of 2,300 km2, a minimum of 3 km2, and a median of 128 km2. An average of 2.29 NLDN flashes were recorded per LMA-derived lightning flash. A maximum of 11 NLDN flashes were recorded in association with a single LMA-derived flash on 10 January 2011. Additionally, seven of the 34 flashes in the study contain zero NLDN-identified flashes. Eleven of the 34 flashes initiated from tall human-made objects (e.g., communication towers). In at least six lightning flashes, the NLDN detected a return stroke from the cloud back to the tower and not the initial upward leader. This study also discusses lightning's interaction with the human-built environment and provides an example of lightning within heavy snowfall observed by Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite-16's Geostationary Lightning Mapper.
AB - This study examined 34 lightning flashes within four separate thundersnow events derived from lightning mapping arrays (LMAs) in northern Alabama, central Oklahoma, and Washington DC. The goals were to characterize the in-cloud component of each lightning flash, as well as the correspondence between the LMA observations and lightning data taken from national lightning networks like the National Lightning Detection Network (NLDN). Individual flashes were examined in detail to highlight several observations within the data set. The study results demonstrated that the structures of these flashes were primarily normal polarity. The mean area encompassed by this set of flashes is 375 km2, with a maximum flash extent of 2,300 km2, a minimum of 3 km2, and a median of 128 km2. An average of 2.29 NLDN flashes were recorded per LMA-derived lightning flash. A maximum of 11 NLDN flashes were recorded in association with a single LMA-derived flash on 10 January 2011. Additionally, seven of the 34 flashes in the study contain zero NLDN-identified flashes. Eleven of the 34 flashes initiated from tall human-made objects (e.g., communication towers). In at least six lightning flashes, the NLDN detected a return stroke from the cloud back to the tower and not the initial upward leader. This study also discusses lightning's interaction with the human-built environment and provides an example of lightning within heavy snowfall observed by Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite-16's Geostationary Lightning Mapper.
KW - electrification
KW - heavy snowfall
KW - lightning
KW - thundersnow
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85042522311&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1002/2017JD027821
DO - 10.1002/2017JD027821
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85042522311
VL - 123
SP - 2347
EP - 2367
JO - Journal of Geophysical Research: Atmospheres
JF - Journal of Geophysical Research: Atmospheres
SN - 2169-897X
IS - 4
ER -