18B.1
The Morphology of Eyewall Lightning Outbreaks in Two Category Five Hurricanes
Kirt A. Squires, NOAA/NWS, Ronkonkoma, NY; and S. Businger
Data from the Long-Range Lightning Detection Network (LLDN), the Tropical
Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) satellite, and reconnaissance aircraft are used to
analyze the morphology of lightning outbreaks in the eyewalls of Hurricanes Rita and
Katrina, two of the strongest storms in the Atlantic hurricane record. Each hurricane
produced eyewall lightning outbreaks during the period of most rapid intensification,
during eyewall replacement cycles, and during the time period that encompassed the
maximum intensity for each storm.
Within the effective range of the aircraft radar, maxima in eyewall strike density
were collocated with maxima in radar reflectivity. High lightning strike rates were also
consistently associated with TRMM low brightness temperatures and large Precipitation
Ice Concentration (PIC) values. The strike density ratio between the eyewall region and
the outer rainband region was 6:1 for Hurricane Rita, and 1:1 for Hurricane Katrina. This
result is in contrast to those of previous remote lightning studies, which found that outer
rainbands dominated the lightning distribution. The differences are shown to be at least
in part the result of the more limited range of the National Lightning Detection Network
(NLDN) data used in the earlier studies. Finally, implications of the results for the use of
LLDN lightning data to remotely examine changes in hurricane intensity and structural
evolution are discussed.
Recorded presentationSession 18B, Remote Sensing of Tropical Cyclones V: Lightning Detection
Friday, 2 May 2008, 10:15 AM-11:00 AM, Palms E
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