Characterizing Electrified Convection during the Genesis of Tropical Storm Claudette (2021)

While lightning and tropical cyclogenesis have been researched extensively, they have often been studied separately. The few studies that sought to investigate this relationship were limited by the use of land-based detection networks and produced conflicting results. To understand lightning in the role of tropical cyclogenesis, it is important to first understand the microphysical characteristics of electrified convection in disturbances prior to genesis. However, obtaining this understanding is difficult, as most cases of genesis typically occur in areas where access to radar observations is limited or unavailable.

Tropical Storm Claudette (2021) provides a unique opportunity for a case study investigating the microphysics of electrified convection prior to genesis as its genesis occurred within the range of multiple ground-based, dual-polarization Doppler radars along the US Gulf Coast. This work will use data from multiple WSR-88Ds and the Geostationary Lightning Mapper (GLM) aboard the latest series of GOES satellites to characterize the microphysical properties of electrified convection in Claudette in the hours leading up to genesis. Within the context of genesis, this presentation will provide an analysis on the differences in electrified and non-electrified convection and discuss the role microphysics may play in the variations of lightning area and energy. The relationship of the microphysics in different types of convection and lightning can then be generalized to make informed assumptions on other cases of lightning in tropical cyclogenesis with limited observations.