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Using Lightning Data to Unravel Tropical Cyclone Structure and Intensity Changes
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As the WWLLN has continued to add sensors around the globe, the detection efficiency of the network has increased, and it has become useful for tropical cyclone observations and research. A set of Atlantic and East Pacific TCs from 2005-2013 will be examined to determine if lightning bursts aid in intensification and if there is a common diurnal lightning signal in TCs. A case study of Hurricane Earl (2010), a TC that spent most of its life over the open Atlantic and distant from land, will be analyzed as a case study. The WWLLN identified a burst of lightning in the inner core of Earl that aided in the understanding of the TC dynamics that supported the subsequent rapid intensification of Earl into a major hurricane. Additionally, a diurnal signal in the lightning was observed that propagated radially outward each day, supporting the findings of a recent study that suggested the diurnal cycle in TCs is relevant to structure and intensity changes.