The Future Role of Total Lightning Information in the Warning Decision Making Process

The upcoming GOES-R satellite series will have a unique capability of monitoring total lightning (incloud + cloud to ground) from space using the Geostationary Lightning Mapper (GLM). Research over the last several decades has shown that total lightning information provides useful information in the severe weather warning decision making process. The main focus of current research is the development and implementation of an algorithm to detect rapid increases in total lightning (also known as “lightning jumps”) for operational applications using the GLM datastream. Herein we provide applications of how total lightning information and lightning jumps can be applied to the warning decision making process. Furthermore, real world operational examples of how total lightning was used to “tip the scales” are presented. Finally, we outline some of the ongoing work to make the lightning jump algorithm operational for the launch of GOES-R in 2015.