LIGHTNING CHARACTERISTICS IN LAKE-EFFECT THUNDERSTORMS uri icon

abstract

  • The characteristics of Great Lakes-induced storms and their cloud-to-ground (CG) lightning flashes are examined for four fall-winter seasons. These storms generally consisted of an enlarged, single band. Typically, only a few CG flashes were recorded per event. However, nearly 700 CG flashes were recorded during the very unusual 22-24 September 1983 event. About 75% of all CG flashes lowered positive charge to ground, excluding the 22-24 September 1983 event when 70% of the flashes lowered negative charge to ground. Positive and negative flashes both were predominantly single-stroked. The median peak current of positive first return strokes was +79 kA for 22-24 September 1983 and +91 kA for the remaining seven storm periods. The corresponding median peak current values for negative first return strokes were -47 kA and -44 kA, respectively. -from Authors

published proceedings

  • MONTHLY WEATHER REVIEW

altmetric score

  • 3

author list (cited authors)

  • MOORE, P. K., & ORVILLE, R. E.

citation count

  • 17

complete list of authors

  • MOORE, PK||ORVILLE, RE

publication date

  • September 1990