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Extreme Lightning Flash Rates as an Early Indicator of Severe StormsExtreme lightning flash rates are proving to be an early indicator of intensifying storms capable of producing tornadoes, damaging winds and hail. Most of this lightning is in the cloud, where the naked eye can not see it. Recent global observations of thunderstorms from space indicate that giant electrical storms (supercells and convective complexes) with flash rates on the order of 1 flash per second are most common over the land masses of the America sub-tropics and equatorial Congo Basin. Within the United States, the average tornado warning lead time on a national basis is about 11 min. The real-time observation of extreme flash rates and the rapid increase in the in-cloud flash rate, signalling the intensification of the storm updraft, may provide as much as a 50% increase in severe storm warning lead time.
Document ID
20020052216
Acquisition Source
Marshall Space Flight Center
Document Type
Conference Paper
Authors
Goodman, Steven J.
(NASA Marshall Space Flight Center Huntsville, AL United States)
Arnold, James E.
Date Acquired
August 20, 2013
Publication Date
January 1, 2002
Subject Category
Meteorology And Climatology
Meeting Information
Meeting: 2002 AAAS Annual Meeting and Science Innovation Exposition
Location: Boston, MA
Country: United States
Start Date: February 14, 2002
End Date: February 19, 2002
Sponsors: American Association for the Advancement of Science
Distribution Limits
Public
Copyright
Work of the US Gov. Public Use Permitted.

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