Recorded presentation8.1A
Lightning mapping data as a tool for assessing storm structure and evolution
E. C. Bruning, CIMMS/Univ. of Oklahoma, Norman, OK; and W. D. Rust, D. R. MacGorman, M. I. Biggerstaff, and P. R. Krehbiel
To illustrate the ability of lightning mapping data to complement weather radar with detail about convective processes on the cellular level, lightning mapping observations are presented from the 26 May 2004 supercellular storm in central Oklahoma during the Thunderstorm Electrification and Lightning Experiment (TELEX). A sequence of three spatially distinct clusters of lightning activity developed within lofted radar echo on right flank of the storm. The clusters either merged with lightning activity in the rest of the storm or became the dominant center of lightning. It is suggested that these clusters were indicative of updraft pulses that can, at present, only be resolved by lightning mapping data. The clusters also indicate undocumented spatial structure in charge regions within thunderstorms. These features were easily tracked in 1 min, 500 m horizontally gridded plots, which provides a useful benchmark resolution for product delivery to forecast offices. Recorded presentation
Session 8, Use of Lightning Data in the Operational Warning and Decision Making Process
Wednesday, 23 January 2008, 4:00 PM-5:30 PM, 222
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