A review of lightning phenomenology in thunderstorms

In utilizing lightning data for meteorological applications it is helpful to have an understanding of the different types of lightning that occur in thunderstorms and of the different manners in which storms can become electrified. Three-dimensional lightning mapping studies and in-cloud measurements have shed considerable light on these questions in recent years. This paper reviews the basic forms of intracloud and cloud-to-ground lightning in normal- and inverted-polarity storms, both in their own right and in the context of radar measurements of storm structure. In addition we discuss the basic features of the overall lightning activity in a storm that can be useful in meteorological applications, such as lightning density, temporal and vertical development, and flash polarities.