TY - JOUR
T1 - The Evolution of Lightning Flash Density, Flash Size, and Flash Energy During Hurricane Dorian's (2019) Intensification and Weakening
AU - Duran, Patrick
AU - Schultz, Christopher J.
AU - Bruning, Eric C.
AU - Stevenson, Stephanie N.
AU - PeQueen, David J.
AU - Johnson, Nicholas E.
AU - Allen, Roger E.
AU - Smith, Matthew R.
AU - LaFontaine, Frank J.
N1 - Funding Information:
The authors thank Paul Reasor of NOAA/AOML/Hurricane Research Division for providing the tail Doppler radar data, four reviewers at the National Hurricane Center, and three anonymous reviewers for their helpful comments on the manuscript. Duran, Schultz, Allen, Smith, and LaFontaine are directly supported by Dr. Tsengdar Lee of NASA's Research and Analysis Program, Weather Focus Area, as part of the Short-term Prediction Research and Transition (SPoRT) Center at Marshall Space Flight Center. Bruning and PeQueen are supported by GOES-R Cal/Val award to Texas Tech University under NASA Grant 80NSSC19K1576 and NOAA's JTTI program via CICS-MD award NA14NEWS4320003/66,892-Z7813012.
Funding Information:
The authors thank Paul Reasor of NOAA/AOML/Hurricane Research Division for providing the tail Doppler radar data, four reviewers at the National Hurricane Center, and three anonymous reviewers for their helpful comments on the manuscript. Duran, Schultz, Allen, Smith, and LaFontaine are directly supported by Dr. Tsengdar Lee of NASA's Research and Analysis Program, Weather Focus Area, as part of the Short‐term Prediction Research and Transition (SPoRT) Center at Marshall Space Flight Center. Bruning and PeQueen are supported by GOES‐R Cal/Val award to Texas Tech University under NASA Grant 80NSSC19K1576 and NOAA's JTTI program via CICS‐MD award NA14NEWS4320003/66,892‐Z7813012.
Publisher Copyright:
© 2021. American Geophysical Union. This article has been contributed to by US Government employees and their work is in the public domain in the USA.
PY - 2021/4/28
Y1 - 2021/4/28
N2 - The two most distinct inner-core lightning outbreaks in Hurricane Dorian (2019) are analyzed using the Geostationary Lightning Mapper (GLM). The first outbreak occurred during Dorian's intensification, including a rapid intensification (RI), and the second occurred during weakening. During RI, inner-core lightning flash density increased as flashes concentrated inside of the radius of maximum wind (RMW). As weakening commenced, numerous flashes still occurred within the RMW, with a flash rate more than three times that during RI–a signal typically associated with strengthening. These flashes, however, were much smaller and less energetic than those during intensification. Evidence is presented that barotropic mixing and secondary eyewall formation increased the number of small, low-energy lightning flashes in the inner core while simultaneously weakening the storm. The results suggest that flash area and energy from GLM could help distinguish between lightning outbreaks that correspond to intensification and those that correspond to weakening.
AB - The two most distinct inner-core lightning outbreaks in Hurricane Dorian (2019) are analyzed using the Geostationary Lightning Mapper (GLM). The first outbreak occurred during Dorian's intensification, including a rapid intensification (RI), and the second occurred during weakening. During RI, inner-core lightning flash density increased as flashes concentrated inside of the radius of maximum wind (RMW). As weakening commenced, numerous flashes still occurred within the RMW, with a flash rate more than three times that during RI–a signal typically associated with strengthening. These flashes, however, were much smaller and less energetic than those during intensification. Evidence is presented that barotropic mixing and secondary eyewall formation increased the number of small, low-energy lightning flashes in the inner core while simultaneously weakening the storm. The results suggest that flash area and energy from GLM could help distinguish between lightning outbreaks that correspond to intensification and those that correspond to weakening.
KW - Barotropic instability
KW - forecasting
KW - hurricanes
KW - lightning
KW - rapid intensification
KW - tropical cyclones
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85105071910&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1029/2020GL092067
DO - 10.1029/2020GL092067
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85105071910
SN - 0094-8276
VL - 48
JO - Geophysical Research Letters
JF - Geophysical Research Letters
IS - 8
M1 - e2020GL092067
ER -