To see the other types of publications on this topic, follow the link: Thunderstorms.
Journal articles on the topic 'Thunderstorms'
Create a spot-on reference in APA, MLA, Chicago, Harvard, and other styles
Consult the top 50 journal articles for your research on the topic 'Thunderstorms.'
Next to every source in the list of references, there is an 'Add to bibliography' button. Press on it, and we will generate automatically the bibliographic reference to the chosen work in the citation style you need: APA, MLA, Harvard, Chicago, Vancouver, etc.
You can also download the full text of the academic publication as pdf and read online its abstract whenever available in the metadata.
Browse journal articles on a wide variety of disciplines and organise your bibliography correctly.
1
Nedostrelova, L. V., and V. V. Chumachenko. "Time distribution of thunderstorms observed at Odesa AMSC at the beginning of the 21st century." Ukrainian hydrometeorological journal, no. 27 (June 30, 2021): 16–23. http://dx.doi.org/10.31481/uhmj.27.2021.02.
Full textAbstract:
The article presents the results of the research of thunderstorm activity at Odesa AMSC for the period of 2000-2019. Under conditions of intense warming, thunderstorm activity responds to the changes of temperature, humidity, radiation regime and atmospheric composition. Modern climate changes that are characterized by rising air temperatures have a decisive influence on the conditions under which dangerous weather phenomena are formed, thus monitoring of the thunderstorms formation in Ukraine is of great importance.
The research includes the analysis of synoptic conditions of thunderstorm activity formation such as air-mass processes, frontal activity, and studies daily and daytime variability of the number of thunderstorm cases for the given period. The results of everyday meteorological observations of atmospheric phenomena conducted by Odesa AMSC within the period of 2000-2019 were used as input data to determine the characteristics of thunderstorm activity over city of Odesa. In order to identify the presence, time and duration of thunderstorm activity aviation weather diaries AV-6 were also reviewed. Certain synoptic materials were used to analyze the types of phenomena. Such materials include interactive database ARMsyn, surface synoptic charts for the periods of observation before and during the thunderstorms.
It was established that during the period under study air-mass thunderstorms were formed in 370 cases of thunderstorm activity observed at the given observation post. Frontal thunderstorms occur less often: 241 cases over 20 years. The largest number of such thunderstorms is cold front thunderstorms amounting to 129 cases. 75 of them were identified as occlusion front thunderstorms. The least frequent were warm front thunderstorms – only 37 cases constituting 15% of the total number of frontal formations.
During the studied period a total number of 620 thunderstorm cases was recorded, 195 of which are dry thunderstorms. Considerable attention is paid to the daily and daytime variability of thunderstorm cases number recorded by Odesa AMSC. With relation to the daily variation, more thunderstorms are observed during daytime amounting to 393 cases, 130 of which are dry thunderstorms. Night thunderstorms amount to 227 cases, 65 of which are dry thunderstorms. With relation to daytime distribution, more thunderstorms were detected in the afternoon.
2
MANOHAR, G. K., and A. P. KESARKAR. "Climatology of thunderstorm activity over the Indian region : II. Spatial distribution." MAUSAM 55, no. 1 (January 19, 2022): 31–40. http://dx.doi.org/10.54302/mausam.v55i1.854.
Full textAbstract:
Thunderstorms play important roles in many areas of information about earth-atmosphere relationship. Inspite of this awareness of importance of thunderstorms, it is noted that studies about thunderstorms over India received little attention in the past. Latest (IMD, 1999) climatological monthly data of number of thunderstorm days (Thn), rainy days (Tnr), and rainfall amount (Trr) for 276 Indian observatory stations are analyzed, over 11 geographic regions comprising India, to examine relationship between these parameters. Analysis of Thn and Tnr data sets showed that in the premonsoon season major part of India is strongly dominated by frequent and widespread thunderstorms but with occasional rainy days. However, in the monsoon season on account of very large increase in the rainy days over the thunderstorm days, the Thn-Tnr relationship is reversed. The climatological feature of India in the premonsoon season is noted as a characteristic of cumulonimbus regime of continental convection, and the one in the monsoon season is termed as cumulonimbus regime of monsoonsal convection. The prominence of monsoonal convective regime is therefore very important in deciding the performance of Indian southwest monsoon. The analysis between Trr and Thn was carried out over 11 geographic regions of India in the four seasons of the annual period. Results pertaining to monsoon season showed that the contribution of thunderstorms to rainfall is highest among the other three seasons. It is inferred that thunderstorm’s rain contribution to monsoonal rainfall is significant.
3
Morgenstern, Deborah, Isabell Stucke, Georg J. Mayr, Achim Zeileis, and Thorsten Simon. "Thunderstorm environments in Europe." Weather and Climate Dynamics 4, no. 2 (May 25, 2023): 489–509. http://dx.doi.org/10.5194/wcd-4-489-2023.
Full textAbstract:
Abstract. Meteorological environments favorable for thunderstorms are studied across Europe, including rare thunderstorm conditions from seasons with climatologically few thunderstorms. Using cluster analysis on ERA5 reanalysis data and EUCLID (European Cooperation for Lightning Detection) lightning data, two major thunderstorm environments are found: wind-field thunderstorms, characterized by increased wind speeds, high shear, strong large-scale vertical velocities, and low CAPE values compared to other thunderstorms in the same region, and mass-field thunderstorms, characterized by large CAPE values, high dew point temperatures, and elevated isotherm heights. Wind-field thunderstorms occur mainly in winter and more over the seas, while mass-field thunderstorms occur more frequently in summer and over the European mainland. Several sub-environments of these two major thunderstorm environments exist. Principal component analysis is used to identify four topographically distinct regions in Europe that share similar thunderstorm characteristics: the Mediterranean, Alpine–central, continental, and coastal regions, respectively. Based on these results it is possible to differentiate lightning conditions in different seasons from coarse reanalysis data without a static threshold or a seasonal criterion.
4
Pineda, Nicolau, and Oriol Rodríguez. "ERA5 Reanalysis of Environments Conducive to Lightning-Ignited Wildfires in Catalonia." Atmosphere 14, no. 6 (May 26, 2023): 936. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/atmos14060936.
Full textAbstract:
In the climate change context, wildfires are an increasing hazard in the Mediterranean Basin, especially those triggered by lightning. Although lightning activity can be predicted with a reasonable level of confidence, the challenge remains in forecasting the thunderstorm’s probability of ignition. The present work aims to characterise the most suitable predictors to forecast lightning-ignited wildfires. Several ERA5 parameters were calculated and compared for two different samples, thunderstorm episodes that caused a wildfire (n = 961) and ordinary thunderstorms (n = 1023) that occurred in Catalonia (NE Iberian Peninsula) in the 2006–2020 period. Lightning wildfires are mostly associated with dry thunderstorms, characterised by: weak-to-moderate Mixed-Layer Convective Available Potential Energy (MLCAPE, 150–1100 J kg−1), significant Dew Point Depression at 850 hPa (DPD850, 3.3–10.1 °C), high Most-Unstable Lifted Condensation Level (MULCL, 580–1450 m) and steep 500–700 hPa Lapse Rate (LR, −7.0–−6.3 °C). Under these conditions, with relatively dry air at lower levels, thunderstorms tend to be high-based, the rain evaporating before reaching the ground and lightning occurring without significant rainfall. Specifically forecasting the probability of LIW occurrence would be of great assistance to the forest protection tactical decision-making process, preparing for “dry” thunderstorm days where multiple ignitions can be expected.
5
Raupach, Timothy H., Andrey Martynov, Luca Nisi, Alessandro Hering, Yannick Barton, and Olivia Martius. "Object-based analysis of simulated thunderstorms in Switzerland: application and validation of automated thunderstorm tracking with simulation data." Geoscientific Model Development 14, no. 10 (October 27, 2021): 6495–514. http://dx.doi.org/10.5194/gmd-14-6495-2021.
Full textAbstract:
Abstract. We present a feasibility study for an object-based method to characterise thunderstorm properties in simulation data from convection-permitting weather models. An existing thunderstorm tracker, the Thunderstorm Identification, Tracking, Analysis and Nowcasting (TITAN) algorithm, was applied to thunderstorms simulated by the Advanced Research Weather Research and Forecasting (AR-WRF) weather model at convection-permitting resolution for a domain centred on Switzerland. Three WRF microphysics parameterisations were tested. The results are compared to independent radar-based observations of thunderstorms derived using the MeteoSwiss Thunderstorms Radar Tracking (TRT) algorithm. TRT was specifically designed to track thunderstorms over the complex Alpine topography of Switzerland. The object-based approach produces statistics on the simulated thunderstorms that can be compared to object-based observation data. The results indicate that the simulations underestimated the occurrence of severe and very large hail compared to the observations. Other properties, including the number of storm cells per day, geographical storm hotspots, thunderstorm diurnal cycles, and storm movement directions and velocities, provide a reasonable match to the observations, which shows the feasibility of the technique for characterisation of simulated thunderstorms over complex terrain.
6
CHAUDHURI, SUTAPA. "CHAOTIC GRAPH THEORY APPROACH FOR IDENTIFICATION OF CONVECTIVE AVAILABLE POTENTIAL ENERGY (CAPE) PATTERNS REQUIRED FOR THE GENESIS OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS." Advances in Complex Systems 10, no. 03 (September 2007): 413–22. http://dx.doi.org/10.1142/s0219525907001215.
Full textAbstract:
Severe thunderstorms are a manifestation of deep convection. Conditional instability is known to be the mechanism by which thunderstorms are formed. The energy that drives conditional instability is convective available potential energy (CAPE), which is computed with radio sonde data at each pressure level. The purpose of the present paper is to identify the pattern or shape of CAPE required for the genesis of severe thunderstorms over Kolkata (22°32′N, 88°20′E) confined within the northeastern part (20°N to 24°N latitude, 85°E to 93°E longitude) of India. The method of chaotic graph theory is adopted for this purpose. Chaotic graphs of pressure levels and CAPE are formed for thunderstorm and non-thunderstorm days. Ranks of the adjacency matrices constituted with the union of chaotic graphs of pressure levels and CAPE are computed for thunderstorm and non-thunderstorm days. The results reveal that the rank of the adjacency matrix is maximum for non-thunderstorm days and a column with all zeros occurs very quickly on severe thunderstorms days. This indicates that CAPE loses connectivity with pressure levels very early on severe thunderstorm days, showing that for the genesis of severe thunderstorms over Kolkata short, and therefore broad, CAPE is preferred.
7
Huryn, Steven, William Gough, Ken Butler, and Tanzina Mohsin. "An Evaluation of Thunderstorm Observations in Southern Ontario Using Automated Lightning Detection Data." Journal of Applied Meteorology and Climatology 54, no. 9 (September 2015): 1837–46. http://dx.doi.org/10.1175/jamc-d-15-0089.1.
Full textAbstract:
AbstractHigh-impact weather events, such as thunderstorms and their associated hazards, are aspects of a changing climate that are likely to have an adverse effect on society. Southern Ontario is Canada’s most populated region as well as the region of Canada that receives the most thunderstorms. Before completing climatological studies of thunderstorms in southern Ontario, it is important to determine whether historical thunderstorm data are reliable. Archived thunderstorm data are available from eight 24-h-staffed weather stations across southern Ontario. The data may be subject to observer bias. This study compared the manual observations of thunderstorms with automated data from the Canadian Lightning Detection Network. It was found that the data that are based on the manual observations are reliable enough that any significant trends in thunderstorm occurrence over time should be apparent. Because of the small-scale nature of thunderstorms, however, the data may only be valid for small distances (up to 10 km) around each weather station. A diurnal bias was also discovered, with manual thunderstorm observations being slightly better at night.
8
MUKHERJEE, A. K., G. ARUNACHALAM, and D. K. RAKSHIT. "A study of Thunderstorms around Gauhati Airport." MAUSAM 15, no. 3 (March 10, 2022): 425–30. http://dx.doi.org/10.54302/mausam.v15i3.5557.
Full textAbstract:
Current weather observations of Gauhati Airport from 1955 to 1961 and radar observations of 1960 and 1961 have been analysed, Monthly frequency of days with thunder attains a maximum in May and remains practically steady during monsoon, During pre-monsoon, frequency of occurence of thunderstorms is highest during night and in monsoon and post-monsoon maximum frequency of thunderstorm occurs during afternoon, Analysis of radar observations reveals the profound influence of southern hills on the development of thunderstorms. During monsoon, thunderstorm activity follows closely the anabatic wind activity, No steering level could be found whose wind can be taken as guide for the movement of thunderstorms, However, during pre-monsoon, thunderstorms approach the station mostly from a westerly direction whereas during monsoon they come from south. In general, monsoon thunderstorms move slowly compared to pre-monsoon thunderstorms.
9
Du, Yangxingyi, Dong Zheng, Ruiyang Ma, Yijun Zhang, Weitao Lyu, Wen Yao, Wenjuan Zhang, Luobu Ciren, and Deqing Cuomu. "Thunderstorm Activity over the Qinghai–Tibet Plateau Indicated by the Combined Data of the FY-2E Geostationary Satellite and WWLLN." Remote Sensing 14, no. 12 (June 15, 2022): 2855. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/rs14122855.
Full textAbstract:
Thunderstorm activity over the Qinghai–Tibet Plateau (QTP) has important climatic effects and disaster impacts. Using the thunderstorm feature dataset (TFD) established based on the black body temperature (TBB) and cloud classification (CLC) products of the Fengyun-2E (FY-2E) geostationary satellite, as well as the lightning data of the World Wide Lightning Location Network (WWLLN), the temporal and spatial distributions and some cloud properties of the thunderstorms over the QTP were analyzed. Approximately 93.9% and 82.7% of thunderstorms over the QTP occur from May to September and from 12 to 21 o’clock local time, and the corresponding peaks are in August and at 14:00, respectively. There are three centers featuring frequent thunderstorms in the southeast, south-central, and southwest regions of the QTP. The average thunderstorm cloud area (the region with TBB ≤ −32 °C) is 1.8 × 104 km2. Approximately 32.9% of thunderstorms have strong convective cells (SCCs) composed of areas with TBB ≤ −52 °C. The average number and area ratio of SCCs are 3.6 and 25.4%, respectively, and their spatial distribution is given. The average cloud area and the number and area ratio of SCCs of extreme-lightning thunderstorms (thunderstorms with the top 10% of lightning numbers) are approximately 30.0, 3.9, and 1.5 times those of normal thunderstorms. The spatial distribution of the thunderstorm activity is quite different from that of lightning activity given by the Lightning Imaging Sensor (LIS) and Optical Transient Detector (OTD) over the northeastern and southwestern QTP, which may mean that the convection intensity, cloud structure, and charge structure of the thunderstorms over the QTP are different between different regions and seasons.
10
Mohiduddin, Md, Samshad Nowreen, Md Forhad Uddin, and Mallik Akram Hossain. "A geographical analysis of thunderstorms in southern Bangladesh." National Geographical Journal of India 67, no. 3 (September 30, 2021): 308–21. http://dx.doi.org/10.48008/ngji.1779.
Full textAbstract:
Thunderstorm is one of the extreme devastating natural disasters, which causes death, injuries and adverse loss in agriculture, housing structure and domestic animals during the period of pre-monsoon and monsoon. Bangladesh is vulnerable to thunderstorm disasters due to its location and weather conditions. Rural people are severely affected by a thunderstorm. For this research, necessary data were collected from secondary as well as primary sources. Thunderstorm related information was randomly gathered from the 150 affected family members and close relatives. The study demonstrated that the working people especially farmers and school going students were severely affected. The research also identified impacts of thunderstorms on humans, types of damage and monetary loss. In terms of thunderstorm induced casualty, the number of death was higher than other casualties in the study area. This research also revealed that above 67 % of people succumbed to death by the thunderstorms which damaged crops, households, animals and trees. People in the study area also suffered from physical damage, for example, injuries to ears, eyes, and body. More than 37% of people faced hearing problems due to strikes of thunderstorms. The study also identified the risk factors responsible for the thunderstorms, such as lack of knowledge about a thunderstorm, outdoor activities, diurnal, and locational variation. Policymakers and planners will find insights from this research to mitigate the impact of thunderstorm disasters in rural Bangladesh.
11
Rigo, T., N. Pineda, and J. Bech. "Analysis of warm season thunderstorms using an object-oriented tracking method based on radar and total lightning data." Natural Hazards and Earth System Sciences 10, no. 9 (September 8, 2010): 1881–93. http://dx.doi.org/10.5194/nhess-10-1881-2010.
Full textAbstract:
Abstract. Monitoring thunderstorms activity is an essential part of operational weather surveillance given their potential hazards, including lightning, hail, heavy rainfall, strong winds or even tornadoes. This study has two main objectives: firstly, the description of a methodology, based on radar and total lightning data to characterise thunderstorms in real-time; secondly, the application of this methodology to 66 thunderstorms that affected Catalonia (NE Spain) in the summer of 2006. An object-oriented tracking procedure is employed, where different observation data types generate four different types of objects (radar 1-km CAPPI reflectivity composites, radar reflectivity volumetric data, cloud-to-ground lightning data and intra-cloud lightning data). In the framework proposed, these objects are the building blocks of a higher level object, the thunderstorm. The methodology is demonstrated with a dataset of thunderstorms whose main characteristics, along the complete life cycle of the convective structures (development, maturity and dissipation), are described statistically. The development and dissipation stages present similar durations in most cases examined. On the contrary, the duration of the maturity phase is much more variable and related to the thunderstorm intensity, defined here in terms of lightning flash rate. Most of the activity of IC and CG flashes is registered in the maturity stage. In the development stage little CG flashes are observed (2% to 5%), while for the dissipation phase is possible to observe a few more CG flashes (10% to 15%). Additionally, a selection of thunderstorms is used to examine general life cycle patterns, obtained from the analysis of normalized (with respect to thunderstorm total duration and maximum value of variables considered) thunderstorm parameters. Among other findings, the study indicates that the normalized duration of the three stages of thunderstorm life cycle is similar in most thunderstorms, with the longest duration corresponding to the maturity stage (approximately 80% of the total time).
12
Mohee, Faizul M., and Craig Miller. "Climatology of Thunderstorms for North Dakota, 2002–06." Journal of Applied Meteorology and Climatology 49, no. 9 (September 1, 2010): 1881–90. http://dx.doi.org/10.1175/2010jamc2400.1.
Full textAbstract:
Abstract Radar and surface thunderstorm data in North Dakota were investigated to obtain the climatology of thunderstorms in the state. A life cycle analysis for the individual storm cells between 2002 and 2006 was carried out, and it was found that June and July were the peak months, late afternoon to early morning was the peak time for thunderstorms, the average lifetime of storm cells was 23.6 min, the average gust wind speed was 16.5 m s−1, the average track length was 21.8 km, and the average movement speed was 16.4 m s−1. The average movement of storm cells varied with months, and the storms moved toward the north, the northeast, and the east. It was also demonstrated that there were 19–35 thunderstorm days each year in North Dakota and that, of these, 9–14 thunderstorm days each year were associated with high speed winds. Severe thunderstorms composed 1.7% of all the thunderstorms in 2002–06. The most intense thunderstorm in North Dakota between 2002 and 2006 was associated with a 5-yr-high wind speed of 31.4 m s−1. It was also found that the longer-lasting storms were the stronger storms.
13
Al-KHULAIFAWI, Imad Abdulridha. "Analysis of Thunderstorm Activity in Iraq and Turkey." NEWS of the Ural State Mining University, no. 4 (December 15, 2023): 164–69. http://dx.doi.org/10.21440/2307-2091-2023-4-164-169.
Full textAbstract:
Relevance of the work. The article deals with the analysis of thunderstorm activity in Iraq and Turkey. A comparison of thunderstorm activity in the areas of location of 5 weather stations located in different areas on the territory of the two states was carried out. Analysis of the accumulated data showed that the frequency of thunderstorms over different regions of the world largely depends on their geographical location (topography), distance from the sea and time of year. The purpose of the work. The aim was to identify the features of the spatial distribution of trends in interannual variability and to determine the best recorded months of thunderstorm activity during the year over the territory of Iraq and Turkey. Methods of work. The study was conducted based on the analysis of daily (archived) meteorological data on thunderstorms over 10 years at five meteorological stations. Results. Based on historical data of daily meteorological observations made over a ten-year period at three meteorological stations in various climate zones in Iraq and at two meteorological stations in various climate zones in Turkey, this study analyzes thunderstorm activity. According to the data, March and April have the highest frequency of thunderstorms, with 55% of them occurring in Iraq’s northern highland region. However, the study found that in Turkey, April and May had the highest frequency of thunderstorms, with 54% of them occurring in Anatolia’s southeast because of its elevation above sea level. Conclusions. In the northern and northeastern regions of Iraq and the southeastern region of Turkey, intense thunderstorm activity was observed. March and April saw the highest annual frequency of thunderstorms.
14
Adzhiev, A. H., G. V. Kupovykh, R. A. Gyatov, and Z. M. Kerefova. "Relationship Between the Number of Days with Thunderstorms and the Duration of Thunderstorms According to Visual and Instrumental Observations." UNIVERSITY NEWS. NORTH-CAUCASIAN REGION. NATURAL SCIENCES SERIES, no. 3 (207) (October 2, 2020): 30–36. http://dx.doi.org/10.18522/1026-2237-2020-3-30-36.
Full textAbstract:
For study the relationship between number of days with a thunderstorm recorded by weather stations and duration of thunderstorms in hours for these days, instrumental observations of the thunder direction-finding network of High-Mountain Geophysical Institute were used. We used data on thunderstorms in the North Caucasus for a long-term observation period in 2008-2019. Based on these data, they are grouped for various territories for analysis: the number of days with thunderstorms per month, per year, and the duration of thunderstorms per month and per year. A correlation analysis was performed between the number of days with thunderstorms and the duration of thunder-storms in hours according to LS 800 data. Thus, the dependence of the number of days with thunderstorms on the duration of thunderstorms is clearly traced - with an increase in the number of days with thunderstorms per year, the observation point increases in direct proportion to the duration of thunderstorms per year. With an increase in the number of days with thunderstorms on a given territory by one day, for the month in question, the duration of thunderstorms increases by 3.89 hours.
15
Malkin, E. I., N. V. Cherneva, P. P. Firstov, G. I. Druzhin, and D. V. Sannikov. "Dirty thunderstorms caused by volcano explosive eruptions in Kamchatka by the data of electromagnetic radiation." IOP Conference Series: Earth and Environmental Science 946, no. 1 (December 1, 2021): 012015. http://dx.doi.org/10.1088/1755-1315/946/1/012015.
Full textAbstract:
Abstract During volcano eruptions, so called dirty thunderstorms are the sources of electromagnetic radiation. They are caused by ash-gas clouds formed during explosive eruptions. Thunderstorm activity in an ash-gas cloud during volcano eruption is monitored by radio equipment. The VLF direction finder, located at Paratunka, monitors thunderstorm activity in the region of Kamchatka Peninsula including dirty thunderstorms accompanying explosive eruptions of Shiveluch and Bezymyanniy volcanoes. In the paper, we analyze records of electromagnetic radiation associated with dirty thunderstorms occurring during volcano eruptions from 2017 to 2020. During that period 24 eruptions of Shiveluch volcano and 5 eruptions of Bezymyanniy volcano occurred. Seventeen and three of them, respectively, caused dirty thunderstorms. Two-stage scenario of development is typical for all the dirty thunderstorms. The first stage lasts for 5–7 minutes and accompanies eruptive column development. However, if the eruption begins according to a smooth scenario, the first stage may be weak. The second stage lasts for 20–80 minutes and is associated with eruptive cloud formation and propagation. The intensity of this dirty thunderstorm stage depends on eruption power as well as on the interaction of an eruptive cloud during its propagation with the clouds of meteorological origin. Based on the obtained data, that is indicated by the increase of cloud-to-cloud stroke number.
16
Fedoniuk, V. V., M. A. Fedoniuk, and A. M. Pavlus. "Study of thunderstorm activity in Volyn Region and in Ukraine using the data of Blitzortung online resource." Ukrainian hydrometeorological journal, no. 28 (December 14, 2021): 16–28. http://dx.doi.org/10.31481/uhmj.28.2021.02.
Full textAbstract:
The article contains the results of statistical and graphical analysis of thunderstorm activity in Ukraine and within Volyn Region, in particular, following the study of the dynamic maps archive available at the online resource Blitzortung.org (lightnings and thunderstorms in real time). It describes the principles and results of activities of Blitzortung.org, a community of lightning direction sensors owners and users, and presents the developed algorithm of the methodology of reading dynamic maps available at this resource.
Regional analysis of the archival maps on the website Blitzortung.org for 2008-2019 for the territory of Volyn Region made it possible to establish the following changes of the thunderstorm activity dynamics: the total number of thunderstorm days more than doubled (from 30 to 68.3 days on average); the number of thunderstorms increased in April (it was a rare phenomenon earlier); the number of thunderstorms increased significantly in May, for some years the number of thunderstorm days in May reached certain summer months (June and July); most thunderstorms are of frontal origin, storm fronts come from the west, north and southwest. The number of frontal thunderstorms tends to increase, therefore indicating increased atmospheric instability and the number of natural meteorological phenomena associated with such instability; the average monthly number of thunderstorm days in Volyn Region also increased for all months of the year with no exception.
The analysis of storm activity within the whole territory of Ukraine during the period of 2018-2019 indicated the presence of clear regional features and differences. The increase in thunderstorm activity is observed in the western (50-100%) and southern (15-50%) regions of the country, and partly in the north. The number of thunderstorm days in the eastern part of Ukraine is close to the climatic normal. At the same time, the analysis needs to be clarified and detailed throughout the whole network of meteorological stations of Ukraine whose data can be compared with the results of the study of archival maps available at Blitzortung.org.
17
SANTHOSH, K., R. SARASA KUMARI, V. K. GANGADHARAN, and N. V. SASIDHARAN. "Some climatological features of thunderstorms at Thiruvananthapuram, Kochi and Kozhikode airports." MAUSAM 52, no. 2 (December 29, 2021): 357–64. http://dx.doi.org/10.54302/mausam.v52i2.1702.
Full textAbstract:
The average monthly frequency of thunderstorms, its annual and monthly frequency of duration, time of commencement and frequency of thunderstorms in relation to duration and time of commencement at three aerodrome stations of Thiruvananthapuram, Kochi and Kozhikode have been presented in this paper. It is found that thunderstorm activity is maximum in pre-monsoon months at Thiruvananthapuram and Kochi and in post monsoon months at Kozhikode. Majority of the thunderstorms are of duration less than three hours and have a preference to commence between 9 and 18 UTC in all stations whereas long duration thunderstorms generally commence between 9 and 15 UTC.
18
Lee, Kwonmin, Hye-Sil Kim, and Yong-Sang Choi. "Effects of high-resolution geostationary satellite imagery on the predictability of tropical thunderstorms over Southeast Asia." Natural Hazards and Earth System Sciences 19, no. 10 (October 11, 2019): 2241–48. http://dx.doi.org/10.5194/nhess-19-2241-2019.
Full textAbstract:
Abstract. Tropical thunderstorms cause significant damage to property and lives, and a strong research interest exists in the advances and improvement of thunderstorm predictability by satellite observations. Using high-resolution (2 km and 10 min) imagery from the geostationary satellite, Himawari-8, recently launched over Southeast Asia, we examined the earliest possible time for the prediction of thunderstorms as compared to the potential of low-resolution (4 km and 30 min) imagery of the former satellite. We compared the lead times of high- and low-resolution imageries of 60 tropical thunderstorms that occurred in August 2017. These thunderstorms were identified by the decreasing trend in the 10.45 µm brightness temperature (BT11) by over 5 K per 10 min for the high-resolution imagery and 15 K per 30 min for the low-resolution imagery. The lead time was then calculated over the time from the initial state to the mature state of the thunderstorm, based on the time series of a minimum BT11 of thunderstorm pixels. The lead time was found to be 90–180 min for the high-resolution imagery, whereas it was only 60 min (if detectable) for the low-resolution imagery. These results indicate that high-resolution imagery is essential for substantial disaster mitigation owing to its ability to raise an alarm more than 2 h ahead of the mature state of a tropical thunderstorm.
19
Guo, Xiaoran, Jianping Guo, Tianmeng Chen, Ning Li, Fan Zhang, and Yuping Sun. "Revisiting the evolution of downhill thunderstorms over Beijing: a new perspective from a radar wind profiler mesonet." Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics 24, no. 14 (July 17, 2024): 8067–83. http://dx.doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-8067-2024.
Full textAbstract:
Abstract. Downhill thunderstorms frequently occur in Beijing during the rainy seasons, leading to substantial precipitation. The accurate intensity prediction of these events remains a challenge, partly attributed to insufficient observational studies that unveil the thermodynamic and dynamic structures along the vertical direction. This study provides a comprehensive methodology for identifying both enhanced and dissipated downhill thunderstorms. In addition, a radar wind profiler (RWP) mesonet has been built in Beijing to characterize the pre-storm environment downstream of the thunderstorms at the foothill. This involves deriving vertical distributions of high-resolution horizontal divergence and vertical motion from the horizontal wind profiles measured by the RWP mesonet. A case study of an enhanced downhill thunderstorm on 28 September 2018 is carried out for comparison with a dissipated downhill thunderstorm on 23 June 2018, supporting the notion that a deep convergence layer detected by the RWP mesonet, combined with the enhanced southerly flow, favors the intensification of thunderstorms. Statistical analyses based on radar reflectivity from April to September 2018–2021 have shown that a total of 63 thunderstorm events tend to be enhanced when entering the plain, accounting for about 66 % of the total number of downhill thunderstorm events. A critical region for intensified thunderstorms lies on the downslope side of the mountains west to Beijing. The evolution of a downhill storm is associated with the dynamic conditions over the plain compared to its initial morphology. Strong westerly winds and divergence in the middle of troposphere exert a critical influence on the enhancement of convection, while low-level divergence may lead to dissipation. The findings underscore the significant role of an RWP mesonet in elucidating the evolution of a downhill storm.
20
Litta, A. J., Sumam Mary Idicula, and U. C. Mohanty. "Artificial Neural Network Model in Prediction of Meteorological Parameters during Premonsoon Thunderstorms." International Journal of Atmospheric Sciences 2013 (December 23, 2013): 1–14. http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2013/525383.
Full textAbstract:
Forecasting thunderstorm is one of the most difficult tasks in weather prediction, due to their rather small spatial and temporal extension and the inherent nonlinearity of their dynamics and physics. Accurate forecasting of severe thunderstorms is critical for a large range of users in the community. In this paper, experiments are conducted with artificial neural network model to predict severe thunderstorms that occurred over Kolkata during May 3, 11, and 15, 2009, using thunderstorm affected meteorological parameters. The capabilities of six learning algorithms, namely, Step, Momentum, Conjugate Gradient, Quick Propagation, Levenberg-Marquardt, and Delta-Bar-Delta, in predicting thunderstorms and the usefulness for the advanced prediction were studied and their performances were evaluated by a number of statistical measures. The results indicate that Levenberg-Marquardt algorithm well predicted thunderstorm affected surface parameters and 1, 3, and 24 h advanced prediction models are able to predict hourly temperature and relative humidity adequately with sudden fall and rise during thunderstorm hour. This demonstrates its distinct capability and advantages in identifying meteorological time series comprising nonlinear characteristics. The developed model can be useful in decision making for meteorologists and others who work with real-time thunderstorm forecast.
21
PRADHAN, DEVENDRA, U. K. DE, and U. V. SINGH. "Development of nowcasting technique and evaluation of convective indices for thunderstorm prediction in Gangetic West Bengal (India) using Doppler Weather Radar and upper air data." MAUSAM 63, no. 2 (December 16, 2021): 299–318. http://dx.doi.org/10.54302/mausam.v63i2.1427.
Full textAbstract:
Thunderstorm and hailstorm are well known short term severe weather phenomena which sometimes turn in to natural hazard especially in Gangetic West Bengal region of India. Large vertical extent of the cumulonimbus cloud, very high reflectivity, squally wind speed sometimes exceeding 100 km/h and heavy rainfall are the main features of these thunderstorms during pre-monsoon period in this region. A study of 70 thunderstorms has been carried out during the pre-monsoon season (March-May) of the year 2005 around Kolkata (22.5° N, 88.5° E) using Doppler Weather Radar and Upper air data. Standard convective indices like CAPE, CINE, LI, BRN and VGP have been evaluated and analyzed statistically. As no definite thresholds of the convective indices are available for thunderstorm prediction in this region, an attempt has been made to find threshold of these indices for possible occurrences of thunderstorms in Gangetic West Bengal region after the analysis of the thunderstorms during year 2005. The validity of these convective indices has been checked with 34 occurrences of thunderstorms during 2006-2007 recorded by Doppler Weather Radar Kolkata. The study reveals that nowcasting of thunderstorms may be done at least 2-3 hrs in advance witha fair degree of accuracy using Doppler radar products only. However, the lead time of nowcasting may be further improved if the convective indices are also analyzed and used in addition to the DWR data. A simple technique has been suggested by the authors for better prediction of thunderstorms at least three to four hours in advance.
22
Kunz, M. "The skill of convective parameters and indices to predict isolated and severe thunderstorms." Natural Hazards and Earth System Sciences 7, no. 2 (May 3, 2007): 327–42. http://dx.doi.org/10.5194/nhess-7-327-2007.
Full textAbstract:
Abstract. The preconvective environment on days with ordinary, widespread, and severe thunderstorms in Southwest Germany was investigated. Various thermodynamic and kinetic parameters calculated from radiosoundings at 12:00 UTC were verified against subsequent thunderstorm observations derived from SYNOP station data, radar data, and damage reports of a building insurance company. The skill of the convective parameters and indices to predict thunderstorms was evaluated by means of probability distribution functions, probabilities of thunderstorms according to an index threshold, and skill scores like the Heidke Skill Score (HSS) that are based on categorical verification. For the ordinary decision as to whether a thunderstorm day was expected or not, the best results were obtained with the original Lifted Index (80% prediction probability for LI≤−1.73; HSS=0.57 for LI≤1.76), the Showalter Index, and the modified K-Index. Considering days with isolated compared to widespread thunderstorms, the best performance is reached by the Deep Convective Index. For days with severe thunderstorms that caused damage due to hail, local storms or floods, the best prediction skill is found again for the Lifted Index and the Deep Convective Index, but also for the Potential Instability Index, the Delta-θe Index, and a version of the CAPE, where the lifting profile is determined by averaging over the lowest 100 hPa.
23
Onwuadiochi, I. C., O. S. Egede, and A. C. Udeogu. "Assessment of the Impacts of Thunderstorm on Flight Operations at Murtala Mohammed International Airport, Ikeja, Lagos State, Nigeria." Journal of Geographical Research 6, no. 1 (February 10, 2023): 17. http://dx.doi.org/10.30564/jgr.v6i1.5057.
Full textAbstract:
The inefficiency of the aviation industry and the persistent rise in aviation hazards have been linked to weather phenomena. As a result, researchers are looking for better solutions to the problem. The study examined the impact of thunderstorms on flight operations at Murtala Mohammed International Airport, Lagos. The data on thunderstorms and flight operations were sourced from Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMet) and Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA) respectively. In order to meet the research target, descriptive statistics (mean, standard deviation, and charts) and inferential statistics (Pearson’s Product Moment Correlation (PPMC) and Regression) were used. The significance level for all inferential analyses was set at 5% (0.05). The study revealed that 77.4% of thunderstorms occurred during the rainy season (April-October) while 22.6% occurred during the dry season (November-March). It also revealed some fluctuating movements of a thunderstorm in the study area. According to the findings, thunderstorms occur most frequently at the airport in June and less frequently in January and December. The study also discovered that thunderstorms at the airport are positively and significantly related to flight delays and cancellations, while the association between flight diversions and thunderstorm occurrence is positive but statistically insignificant. Furthermore, flight delays, flight diversions, and flight cancellations interact positively among themselves. The regression result of the study revealed that a 1% increase in thunderstorm occurrence leads to a 19.4% increase in flight delay, a 7.1% increase in flight cancellation, and a 4.3% increase in flight diversion. As a result, the study presented various regression models that may be utilized to make predictions. The study proposes consistent thunderstorm observation at the airport and steady forecasts using the regression models, based on the findings. However, it further recommends that pilots, air traffic controllers, and meteorologists be trained and retrained so that they can provide better and more efficient services.
24
Ioshpa, Alexandr R., and Imad Abdulridha Jasim Al-Khulaifawi. "Analysis of Thunderstorm Activity in Iraq." UNIVERSITY NEWS. NORTH-CAUCASIAN REGION. NATURAL SCIENCES SERIES, no. 2 (218) (June 23, 2023): 75–80. http://dx.doi.org/10.18522/1026-2237-2023-2-75-80.
Full textAbstract:
Systematic monitoring of the recurrence of thunderstorms over various regions of the world began in 1856, after the creation of the World Meteorological Organization. Analysis of the accumulated data showed that the frequency of thunderstorms over different regions of the world depends significantly both on their geographical location and on time. At the same time, the patterns of spatial distribution of trends in interannual variability of thunderstorm activity over the territory of Iraq are currently not well understood. This study analyzed thunderstorm activity from archival data from daily meteorological observations over a 3,0-year period at three meteorological stations located in different climatic zones of Iraq. The analysis showed that the greatest frequency of thunderstorms occurs in April and March, of which the months of March are higher. 44.8 % is in the northern mountainous part of Iraq.
25
Morgenstern, Deborah, Isabell Stucke, Thorsten Simon, Georg J. Mayr, and Achim Zeileis. "Differentiating lightning in winter and summer with characteristics of the wind field and mass field." Weather and Climate Dynamics 3, no. 1 (March 31, 2022): 361–75. http://dx.doi.org/10.5194/wcd-3-361-2022.
Full textAbstract:
Abstract. Lightning in winter (December–January–February, DJF) is rare compared to lightning in summer (June–July–August, JJA) in central Europe north of the Alps. The conventional explanation attributes the scarcity of lightning in winter to seasonally low values of variables that create favorable conditions in summer. Here we systematically examine whether different meteorological processes are at play in winter. We use cluster analysis and principal component analysis and find physically meaningful groups in ERA5 atmospheric reanalysis data and lightning data for northern Germany. Two thunderstorm types emerged: wind-field thunderstorms and CAPE (convective available potential energy) thunderstorms. Wind-field thunderstorms are characterized by increased wind speeds, high cloud shear, large dissipation of kinetic energy in the boundary layer, and moderate temperatures. Clouds are close to the ground, and a relatively large fraction of the clouds are warmer than −10 ∘C. CAPE thunderstorms are characterized by increased convective available potential energy (CAPE), the presence of convective inhibition (CIN), high temperatures, and accompanying large amounts of water vapor. Large amounts of cloud-physics variables related to charge separation such as ice particles or cloud base height further differentiate both wind-field thunderstorms and CAPE thunderstorms. Lightning in winter originates in wind-field thunderstorms, whereas lightning in summer originates mostly in CAPE thunderstorms and only a small fraction in wind-field thunderstorms. Consequently, typical weather situations of wind-field thunderstorms in the study area in northern Germany are strong westerlies with embedded cyclones. For CAPE thunderstorms, the area is typically on the anticyclonic side of a southwesterly jet.
26
Nechepurenko, О. Е., I. V. , Kuzhevskaia, K. N. Pustovalov, V. P. Gorbatenko, and К. А. Kravets. "Thunderstorm activity and characterization of atmospheric instability according to ERA5 reanalysis data over the Asian part of the Russian Arctic." Hydrometeorological research and forecasting 4 (December 15, 2023): 25–45. http://dx.doi.org/10.37162/2618-9631-2023-4-25-45.
Full textAbstract:
Thunderstorms in the Arctic sector of the Russian Federation are a key indicator of climate change, as they signal a temperature rise in this cold region. The paper considers the variability of the number of days with thunderstorms in the Asian part of the Russian Arctic for 2015–2021 based on ground-based observations. No rapid increase in the number of days with thunderstorms as compared to the long-term data was found. However, an increase in the frequency of thunderstorm activity is registered at some stations. A verification of the Total Totals instability index values obtained from the ERA5 reanalysis product with the same name and rawinsonde data did not show critical differences. The best fit was demonstrated for Yakutsk station (1.4 %); at Turukhansk and Vanavara stations, the percentage of inconsistency was 3.1 and 3.5 %, respectively. The use of the ERA5 Total Totals product in the Arctic regions is relevant for the retrospective determination of the presence of thunderstorms and their localization in sparsely populated areas. Keywords: Arctic, number of days with thunderstorm, verification, Total Totals, rawinsonde Institute of Natural and Technical Systems, Sevastopol, Russia
27
Wei, Song, Jin Ruijun, Meng Hui, and Guo Xiaojun. "Analysis of Hailstone and Thunderstorm Characteristics in Tianjin during Recent Years." Journal of Weather Modification 45, no. 1 (March 30, 2013): 8–13. http://dx.doi.org/10.54782/jwm.v45i1.52.
Full textAbstract:
Based on the hailstorm and thunderstorm data from 13 meteorological observation stations, this article analyzes the spatial and temporal distribution characteristics of hailstorms and thunderstorms in Tianjin. Three main conclusions are reached from the results of this study: (1) During the last 20 years the annual mean hailstorm days of 13 meteorological station in Tianjin is 13. The total number of hail days in Jixian district is the most (105 days). The hailstorm weather often appears in spring, summer and autumn, from March to September mostly. (2) Jixian, Jinghai and Hangu districts have more thunderstorms than other regions in Tianjin. The thunderstorms which form in the northwest have the highest frequency. The influence of southwest thunderstorms has increased gradually in recent years. (3) There are four kinds of synoptic systems which can cause the formation of hailstorms and thunderstorms in Tianjin. They are high level vortex, upper trough, shear line and northwest air current.
28
Avotniece, Zanita, Agrita Briede, Maris Klavins, and Svetlana Aniskevich. "Remote Sensing Observations of Thunderstorm Features in Latvia." Environmental and Climate Technologies 21, no. 1 (December 1, 2017): 28–46. http://dx.doi.org/10.1515/rtuect-2017-0014.
Full textAbstract:
Abstract Thunderstorms are the most hazardous meteorological phenomena in Latvia in the summer season, and the assessment of their characteristics is essential for the development of an effective national climate and weather prediction service. However, the complex nature of convective processes sets specific limitations to their observation, analysis and forecasting. Therefore, the aim of this study is to analyse thunderstorm features associated with severe thunderstorms observed in weather radar and satellite data in Latvia over the period 2006–2015. The obtained results confirm the applicability of the selected thunderstorm features for thunderstorm nowcasting and analysis in Latvia. The most frequent features observed on days with thunderstorm were maximum radar reflectivities exceeding 50 dBZ and the occurrence of overshooting tops and tilted updrafts, while the occurrence of gravity waves, V-shaped storm structures and small ice particles have been found to be useful indicators of increased thunderstorm severity potential.
29
Lõhmus, Mare, Tomas Lind, Laura MacLachlan, Agneta Ekebom, Björn Gedda, Pia Östensson, and Antonios Georgelis. "Combined Exposure to Birch Pollen and Thunderstorms Affects Respiratory Health in Stockholm, Sweden—A Time Series Analysis." International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health 19, no. 10 (May 11, 2022): 5852. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/ijerph19105852.
Full textAbstract:
Background: Thunderstorm asthma is a term used to describe surges in acute respiratory illnesses following a thunderstorm and is often attributed to an intense exposure to aeroallergens. Several episodes of thunderstorm asthma have been observed worldwide; however, no such cases have been described in Sweden. In Sweden, the most prominent exposure to air-borne pollen occurs during the blooming of the birch. We aimed to explore the associations between respiratory health and the combined exposure to thunderstorms and birch pollen. Methods: We investigated the association between the daily numbers of outpatient visits due to respiratory cases and the combined exposure to thunderstorms and birch pollen during the period of 1 May–31 September in 2001–2017, in Stockholm County, Sweden, by using time series analysis with log linear models. Results: We detected noticeable increases in the number of outpatient visits on both the same day (max 26%; 95% CI 1.16–1.37) and the day after (max 50%; 95% CI 1.32–1.70) the occurrence of a thunderstorm, when the concentrations of birch pollen and the number of lightning discharges were within the highest categories. Conclusions: It is possible that co-exposure to heavy thunderstorms and high concentrations of birch pollen affects the respiratory health of the Stockholm population. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study addressing the thunderstorm-related respiratory illnesses in Sweden and the effects of birch pollen. Our study may be important for future public health advice related to thunderstorm asthma.
30
Arora, Kopal, Kamaljit Ray, Suresh Ram, and Rajeev Mehajan. "The Role of Instability Indices in Forecasting Thunderstorm and Non-Thunderstorm Days across Six Cities in India." Climate 11, no. 1 (January 4, 2023): 14. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/cli11010014.
Full textAbstract:
Thunderstorms are one of the most damaging natural hazards demanding in-depth understanding and prediction. These convective systems form in an unstable environment which is quantitatively expressed in terms of instability indices. These indices are studied over six locations across the Indian landmass in an attempt to predict thunderstorm activity on any given day. A combination of multiple regression, logistic regression, and range analysis provides new insight into the prediction of these storms. A supervised machine learning-based logistic regression model is developed in this study for thunderstorm prediction over Patna and can be further extended for operational forecasting of Thunderstorms over the region. Critical thresholds for the instability indices are determined over the considered locations providing valuable insight into the domain of Thunderstorm prediction
31
Carlaw, Lee B., Ariel E. Cohen, and Jaret W. Rogers. "Synoptic and Mesoscale Environment of Convection during the North American Monsoon across Central and Southern Arizona." Weather and Forecasting 32, no. 2 (February 13, 2017): 361–75. http://dx.doi.org/10.1175/waf-d-15-0098.1.
Full textAbstract:
Abstract This paper comprehensively analyzes the synoptic and mesoscale environment associated with North American monsoon–related thunderstorms affecting central and southern Arizona. Analyses of thunderstorm environments are presented using reanalysis data, severe thunderstorm reports, and cloud-to-ground lightning information from 2003 to 2013, which serves as a springboard for lightning-prediction models provided in a companion paper. Spatial and temporal analyses of lightning strikes indicate thunderstorm frequencies maximize between 2100 and 0000 UTC, when the greatest frequencies are concentrated over higher terrain. Severe thunderstorm reports typically occur later in the day (between 2300 and 0100 UTC), while reports are maximized in the Tucson and Phoenix metropolitan areas. Composite analyses of the synoptic-scale patterns associated with severe thunderstorm days and nonthunderstorm days during the summer using the North American Regional Reanalysis dataset are presented. Severe thunderstorm cases tend to be associated with a stronger midlevel anticyclone and deep-layer moisture over portions of the southwestern United States. By September, severe weather patterns tend to associate with a midlevel trough along the Pacific coast. Specific parameters associated with severe thunderstorms are analyzed across the Tucson and Phoenix areas, where severe weather reporting is more consistent. Greater convective available potential energy, low-level lapse rates, and downdraft convective available potential energy are associated with severe thunderstorm (especially severe wind) environments compared to those with nonsevere thunderstorms, while stronger effective bulk wind differences (at least 15–20 kt, where 1 kt = 0.51 m s−1) can be used to distinguish severe hail environments.
32
Sorokin, Aleksandr, and Vasiliy Dobrynin. "Method of studying infrasound waves from thunderstorms." Solnechno-Zemnaya Fizika 8, no. 1 (March 25, 2022): 62–69. http://dx.doi.org/10.12737/szf-81202208.
Full textAbstract:
The paper provides an overview of studies of infrasound signals from thunderstorms over a period of more than 30 years. We deal with several types of infrasound signals from thunderstorms detected at the ISTP SB RAS infrasound station Badary in Buryatia. Special attention is paid to signals arising during the rarefaction phase. A mechanism for generating signals of this type by converting the energy of the electrostatic field into fluctuations in the pressure field was proposed by Dessler in 1973. We propose a method for identifying thunderstorm infrasound signals of various types: 1 — signals from an expanding thermal lightning channel; 2 — signals with an electrostatic generation mechanism. Using infrasound signals recorded earlier at the station in Buryatia as an example, we discuss the validity of the thunderstorm cloud model and assess some parameters of the thunderstorm source of infrasound.
33
Sorokin, Aleksandr, and Vasiliy Dobrynin. "Method of studying infrasound waves from thunderstorms." Solar-Terrestrial Physics 8, no. 1 (March 25, 2022): 62–68. http://dx.doi.org/10.12737/stp-81202208.
Full textAbstract:
The paper provides an overview of studies of infrasound signals from thunderstorms over a period of more than 30 years. We deal with several types of infrasound signals from thunderstorms detected at the ISTP SB RAS infrasound station Badary in Buryatia. Special attention is paid to signals arising during the rarefaction phase. A mechanism for generating signals of this type by converting the energy of the electrostatic field into fluctuations in the pressure field was proposed by Dessler in 1973. We propose a method for identifying thunderstorm infrasound signals of various types: 1 — signals from an expanding thermal lightning channel; 2 — signals with an electrostatic generation mechanism. Using infrasound signals recorded earlier at the station in Buryatia as an example, we discuss the validity of the thunderstorm cloud model and assess some parameters of the thunderstorm source of infrasound.
34
Huntrieser, H., H. Schlager, M. Lichtenstern, A. Roiger, P. Stock, A. Minikin, H. Höller, et al. "NO<sub>x</sub> production by lightning in Hector: first airborne measurements during SCOUT-O3/ACTIVE." Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics Discussions 9, no. 4 (July 1, 2009): 14361–451. http://dx.doi.org/10.5194/acpd-9-14361-2009.
Full textAbstract:
Abstract. During the SCOUT-O3/ACTIVE field phase in November–December 2005 airborne in situ measurements were performed inside and in the vicinity of thunderstorms over northern Australia with several research aircraft (German Falcon, Russian M55 Geophysica, and British Dornier-228). Here a case study from 19 November is presented in large detail on the basis of airborne trace gas measurements (NO, NOy, CO, O3) and stroke measurements from the German LIghtning Location NETwork (LINET), set up in the vicinity of Darwin during the field campaign. The anvil outflow from three different types of thunderstorms was probed by the Falcon aircraft: 1) a continental thunderstorm developing in a tropical airmass near Darwin, 2) a mesoscale convective system (MCS) developing within the tropical maritime continent (Tiwi Islands) known as Hector, and 3) a continental thunderstorm developing in a subtropical airmass ~200 km south of Darwin. For the first time detailed measurements of NO were performed in the Hector outflow. The highest NO mixing ratios were observed in Hector with peaks up to 7 nmol mol−1 in the main anvil outflow at ~11.5–12.5 km altitude. The mean NOx (=NO+NO2) mixing ratios during these penetrations (~100 km width) varied between 2.2 and 2.5 nmol mol−1. The NOx contribution from the boundary layer (BL), transported upward with the convection, to total anvil-NOx was found to be minor (<10%). On the basis of Falcon measurements, the mass flux of lightning-produced NOx (LNOx) in the well-developed Hector system was estimated to 0.6–0.7 kg(N) s−1. The highest average stroke rate of the probed thunderstorms was observed in the Hector system with 0.2 strokes s−1 (here only strokes with peak currents ≥10 kA contributing to LNOx were considered). The LNOx mass flux and the stroke rate were combined to estimate the LNOx production rate in the different thunderstorm types. For a better comparison with other studies, LINET strokes were scaled with Lightning Imaging Sensor (LIS) flashes. The LNOx production rate per LIS flash was estimated to 4.1–4.8 kg(N) for the well-developed Hector system, and to 5.4 and 1.7 kg(N) for the continental thunderstorms developing in subtropical and tropical airmasses, respectively. If we assume, that these different types of thunderstorms are typical thunderstorms globally (LIS flash rate ~44 s−1), the annual global LNOx production rate based on Hector would be ~5.7–6.6 Tg(N) a−1 and based on the continental thunderstorms developing in subtropical and tropical airmasses ~7.6 and ~2.4 Tg(N) a−1, respectively. The latter thunderstorm type produced much less LNOx per flash compared to the subtropical and Hector thunderstorms, which may be caused by the shorter mean flash component length observed in this storm. It is suggested that the vertical wind shear influences the horizontal extension of the charged layers, which seems to play an important role for the flash lengths that may originate. In addition, the horizontal dimension of the anvil outflow and the cell organisation within the thunderstorm system are probably important parameters influencing flash length and hence LNOx production per flash.
35
Huntrieser, H., H. Schlager, M. Lichtenstern, A. Roiger, P. Stock, A. Minikin, H. Höller, et al. "NO<sub>x</sub> production by lightning in Hector: first airborne measurements during SCOUT-O3/ACTIVE." Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics 9, no. 21 (November 5, 2009): 8377–412. http://dx.doi.org/10.5194/acp-9-8377-2009.
Full textAbstract:
Abstract. During the SCOUT-O3/ACTIVE field phase in November–December 2005, airborne in situ measurements were performed inside and in the vicinity of thunderstorms over northern Australia with several research aircraft (German Falcon, Russian M55 Geophysica, and British Dornier-228. Here a case study from 19 November is presented in detail on the basis of airborne trace gas measurements (NO, NOy, CO, O3) and stroke measurements from the German LIghtning Location NETwork (LINET), set up in the vicinity of Darwin during the field campaign. The anvil outflow from three different types of thunderstorms was probed by the Falcon aircraft: (1) a continental thunderstorm developing in a tropical airmass near Darwin, (2) a mesoscale convective system (MCS), known as Hector, developing within the tropical maritime continent (Tiwi Islands), and (3) a continental thunderstorm developing in a subtropical airmass ~200 km south of Darwin. For the first time detailed measurements of NO were performed in the Hector outflow. The highest NO mixing ratios were observed in Hector with peaks up to 7 nmol mol−1 in the main anvil outflow at ~11.5–12.5 km altitude. The mean NOx (=NO+NO2) mixing ratios during these penetrations (~100 km width) varied between 2.2 and 2.5 nmol mol−1. The NOx contribution from the boundary layer (BL), transported upward with the convection, to total anvil-NOx was found to be minor (<10%). On the basis of Falcon measurements, the mass flux of lightning-produced NOx (LNOx) in the well-developed Hector system was estimated to 0.6–0.7 kg(N) s−1. The highest average stroke rate of the probed thunderstorms was observed in the Hector system with 0.2 strokes s−1 (here only strokes with peak currents ≥10 kA contributing to LNOx were considered). The LNOx mass flux and the stroke rate were combined to estimate the LNOx production rate in the different thunderstorm types. For a better comparison with other studies, LINET strokes were scaled with Lightning Imaging Sensor (LIS) flashes. The LNOx production rate per LIS flash was estimated to 4.1–4.8 kg(N) for the well-developed Hector system, and to 5.4 and 1.7 kg(N) for the continental thunderstorms developing in subtropical and tropical airmasses, respectively. If we assume, that these different types of thunderstorms are typical thunderstorms globally (LIS flash rate ~44 s−1), the annual global LNOx production rate based on Hector would be ~5.7–6.6 Tg(N) a−1 and based on the continental thunderstorms developing in subtropical and tropical airmasses ~7.6 and ~2.4 Tg(N) a−1, respectively. The latter thunderstorm type produced much less LNOx per flash compared to the subtropical and Hector thunderstorms, which may be caused by the shorter mean flash component length observed in this storm. It is suggested that the vertical wind shear influences the horizontal extension of the charged layers, which seems to play an important role for the flash lengths that may originate. In addition, the horizontal dimension of the anvil outflow and the cell organisation within the thunderstorm system are probably important parameters influencing flash length and hence LNOx production per flash.
36
Mull, S., and Y. P. RAO. "Dynamics of thunderstorms." MAUSAM 1, no. 2 (February 9, 2022): 116–36. http://dx.doi.org/10.54302/mausam.v1i2.4469.
Full textAbstract:
It has generally been believed that the pressure rise is the only type or pressure change which can occur with the passage of a thunderstorm and that this rise is invariably accompanied with a fall in Dry Bulb temperature. Evidence has been brought forth to show that this is not always the case and that in addition to instances of thunderstorms with pressure rise, there are also cases of thunderstorms accompanied by no pressure change or even a pressure fall. It is also observed that these pressure variations are not always associated with a temperature fall, but are in some cases, also accompanied by arise in Dry Bulb or no appreciable change in Dry Bulb.
A review of the present explanations of pressure changes in thunderstorms is given and it is shown how these are inadequate to explain all the observed facts.
37
Tkachev, Ivan, Roman Vasilyev, and Elena Belousova. "Cluster analysis of lightning discharges: based on Vereya-MR network data." Solar-Terrestrial Physics 7, no. 4 (December 20, 2021): 85–92. http://dx.doi.org/10.12737/stp-74202109.
Full textAbstract:
Monitoring thunderstorm activity can help you solve many problems such as infrastructure facility protection, warning of hazardous phenomena associated with intense precipitation, study of conditions for the occurrence of thunderstorms and the degree of their influence on human activity, as well as the influence of thunderstorm activity on the formation of near-Earth space. We investigate the characteristics of thunderstorm cells by the method of cluster analysis. We take the Vereya-MR network data accumulated over a period from 2012 to 2018 as a basis. The Vereya-MR network considered in this paper is included in networks operating in the VLF-LF range (long and super-long radio waves). Reception points equipped with recording equipment, primary information processing systems, communication systems, precision time and positioning devices based on global satellite navigation systems are located throughout Russia. In the longitudinal-latitudinal thunderstorm distributions of interest, the dependence on the location of recording devices might be manifested. We compare the behavior of thunderstorms on the entire territory of the Russian Federation with those in the Baikal natural territory. We have established the power of thunderstorms over the Baikal region is lower. The daily variation in thunderstorm cells we obtained is consistent with the data from other works. There are no differences in other thunderstorm characteristics between the regions under study. This might be due to peculiarities of the analysis method. On the basis of the work performed, we propose sites for new points of our own lightning location network, as well as additional methods of cluster analysis.
38
Tkachev, Ivan, Roman Vasilyev, and Elena Belousova. "Cluster analysis of lightning discharges: based on Vereya-MR network data." Solnechno-Zemnaya Fizika 7, no. 4 (December 20, 2021): 91–98. http://dx.doi.org/10.12737/szf-74202109.
Full textAbstract:
Monitoring thunderstorm activity can help you solve many problems such as infrastructure facility protection, warning of hazardous phenomena associated with intense precipitation, study of conditions for the occurrence of thunderstorms and the degree of their influence on human activity, as well as the influence of thunderstorm activity on the formation of near-Earth space. We investigate the characteristics of thunderstorm cells by the method of cluster analysis. We take the Vereya-MR network data accumulated over a period from 2012 to 2018 as a basis. The Vereya-MR network considered in this paper is included in networks operating in the VLF-LF range (long and super-long radio waves). Reception points equipped with recording equipment, primary information processing systems, communication systems, precision time and positioning devices based on global satellite navigation systems are located throughout Russia. In the longitudinal-latitudinal thunderstorm distributions of interest, the dependence on the location of recording devices might be manifested. We compare the behavior of thunderstorms on the entire territory of the Russian Federation with those in the Baikal natural territory. We have established the power of thunderstorms over the Baikal region is lower. The daily variation in thunderstorm cells we obtained is consistent with the data from other works. There are no differences in other thunderstorm characteristics between the regions under study. This might be due to peculiarities of the analysis method. On the basis of the work performed, we propose sites for new points of our own lightning location network, as well as additional methods of cluster analysis.
39
Robert, James J, Igbo, and Nkechinyere E. "The Mechanism of Thunderstorms and its Environmental Effects (A Review)." Asian Journal of Basic Science & Research 04, no. 03 (2023): 55–60. http://dx.doi.org/10.38177/ajbsr.2022.4308.
Full textAbstract:
This study is a review of the mechanism of thunderstorm and its environmental effects. Thunderstorm is a natural phenomenon. Its occurrence in the Earth’s atmosphere has been from time immemorial. Thunderstorm has been described as a natural battery as it constitutes both negative and positive parts. This natural phenomenon displays a beautiful signature (lightning) and rumbling noise (thunder) in the sky. Thunder is caused by lightning. The heat energy associated with lightning heats up the surrounding air molecules very fast and causes these air molecules to expand rapidly, and also contract rapidly as it cools off; this rapid expansion and contraction produce sound waves(thunder). The occurrence of thunderstorm is always associated with a great deal of damage to humans, infrastructures, and plants. This damage ranges from loss of lives, collapse of crops and economic trees, infrastructures, especially power grid lines which often threw the affected areas into total darkness. Turbulent weather conditions arising from thunderstorm has a huge negative impact on the aviation industries around the globe, as cases of cancellation of flights are abound and occasional plane crashes. A recent research study has attributed the increasing trend of occurrence of thunderstorm over the continent of Africa to increasing surface temperature; meaning that the continent of Africa will most likely experience more of the devastating effects of thunderstorms. To drastically minimize these negative of effects of thunderstorms, accurate prediction of thunderstorms and early warning, keeping to thunder and lightning safety measures, and mitigation of drivers of climate change must be considered
40
Poręba, Szymon, and Bartłomiej Pietras. "Warunki synoptyczne sprzyjające rozwojowi burz nocnych w Polsce = Synoptic conditions favouring the development of nocturnal thunderstorms in Poland." Przegląd Geograficzny 93, no. 1 (2021): 27–42. http://dx.doi.org/10.7163/przg.2021.1.2.
Full textAbstract:
This article presents research into the meteorological conditions underpinning the development of night thunderstorms in Poland. The main objective was thus to identify the synoptic situations favouring nocturnal thunderstorms, as well as to determine which convection indices are of greatest relevance to forecasts of this type of thunderstorm. The research detailed here was carried out by analysing cloud-to-ground lightning flashes registered in Poland in the years 2002‑2018 via the PERUN system. ERA 5 reanalysis was used to obtain relevant atmospheric parameters and convection indices. In addition, synoptic analysis was carried out for specified thunderstorms, with their dominant structure also determined. No fewer than 1.5 million cloud-to-ground lightning flashes were analysed for the purposes of this study. These data making it clear that the development of nocturnal thunderstorms is favoured primarily in conditions of a waving front, cold front or wind convergence line. In all cases, the jet stream in the upper troposphere emerged as an additional factor increasing the development and activity of nocturnal thunderstorms.
41
Müller, Richard, Axel Barleben, Stéphane Haussler, and Matthias Jerg. "A Novel Approach for the Global Detection and Nowcasting of Deep Convection and Thunderstorms." Remote Sensing 14, no. 14 (July 13, 2022): 3372. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/rs14143372.
Full textAbstract:
Thunderstorms are among the most common and most dangerous meteorological hazards in the world. They cause lightning and can lead to strong wind gusts, squall lines, hail and heavy precipitation combined with flooding, and therefore pose a threat to health and life, can cause enormous property damage and also endanger flight safety. Monitoring and forecast of thunderstorms are, therefore, important topics. In this work, a novel method for the detection and forecast of thunderstorms and strong convection is presented. The detection is based on the global GLD360 lightning data in combination with satellite information from the satellite series Meteosat, HIMAWARI and GOES, covering the complete geostationary ring. Three severity levels are defined depending on the occurrence of lightning and the brightness temperature difference of the water vapour channels and the infrared window channel (∼10.8 μm). The detection of thunderstorms and strong convection is the basis for the nowcasting up to 2 h, which is performed with the optical flow method TV-L1. This method provides the needed atmospheric motion vectors for the extrapolation of the thunderstorm movement. Both, the validation results as well as the feedback of the customers show the great value of the new NowCastSat-Aviation (NCS-A) method. For example, the Critical Success Index (CSI) is, with 0.64, still quite high for the 60 min forecast of severe thunderstorms. The method is operated 24/7 by the German Weather Service (DWD), and is used to provide thunderstorm information to aviation customers and the central weather forecast unit of DWD.
42
Cecil, Daniel J., Dennis E. Buechler, and Richard J. Blakeslee. "TRMM LIS Climatology of Thunderstorm Occurrence and Conditional Lightning Flash Rates*." Journal of Climate 28, no. 16 (August 10, 2015): 6536–47. http://dx.doi.org/10.1175/jcli-d-15-0124.1.
Full textAbstract:
Abstract The Lightning Imaging Sensor (LIS) on the Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) satellite has previously been used to build climatologies of mean lightning flash rate across the global tropics and subtropics. This new work explores climatologies of thunderstorm occurrence as seen by LIS and the conditional mean flash rates when thunderstorms do occur. The region where thunderstorms are seen most often by LIS extends slightly farther east in central Africa than the corresponding region with the highest total mean annual flash rates. Presumably this reflects a difference between more frequent thunderstorm initiation in the east and upscale growth as storms move westward. There are some differences between locations with the greatest total lightning flash counts and those where thunderstorms occur most often. The greatest conditional mean flash rates—considering only those TRMM orbits that do have lightning in a given grid box—are found in subtropical regions. The highest values are in Argentina, with the central United States, Pakistan, eastern China, and the east coast of Australia also having particularly high values.
43
Bielec-Bąkowska, Zuzanna. "Thunderstorms and thunderstorm precipitations in southern Poland." Environmental & Socio-economic Studies 2, no. 3 (September 1, 2014): 33–46. http://dx.doi.org/10.1515/environ-2015-0041.
Full textAbstract:
AbstractThis paper addresses spatial and temporal variability in the occurrence of thunderstorms and related precipitation in southern Poland between 1951 and 2010. The analysis was based on thunderstorm observations and daily precipitation totals (broken down into the few ranges) from 15 meteorological stations. It was found that precipitation accompanied an overwhelming majority of thunderstorms. The most frequent range of thunderstorm precipitation totals was 0.1–10.0 mm which accounted for 60% of all values while precipitation higher than 20.0 mm accounted only for ca. 8%. During the study period, long-term change in the number of days with thunderstorm precipitation within a certain range displayed no clear-cut trends. Exceptions included: 1) an increase in the number of days with thunderstorm precipitation in the lowest range of totals (0.1–10.0 mm) at Katowice, Tarnów, Rzeszów and Lesko and decrease at Mt. Kasprowy Wierch, 2) an increase in the range 10.1–20.0 mm at Zakopane and 20.1–30.0 mm at Opole, 3) a decrease of the top range (more than 30.0 mm) at Mt. Śnieżka. It was found that the heaviest thunderstorm precipitation events, i.e. totalling more than 30 mm, and those events that covered all or most of the study area, occurred at the time of air advection from the southern or eastern sectors and a passage of atmospheric fronts.
44
Virts, Katrina S., and Steven J. Goodman. "Prolific Lightning and Thunderstorm Initiation over the Lake Victoria Basin in East Africa." Monthly Weather Review 148, no. 5 (April 17, 2020): 1971–85. http://dx.doi.org/10.1175/mwr-d-19-0260.1.
Full textAbstract:
Abstract The Lake Victoria basin of East Africa is home to over 30 million people, over 200 000 of whom are employed in fishing or transportation on the lake. Approximately 3000–5000 individuals are killed by thunderstorms yearly, primarily by outflow winds and resulting large waves. Prolific lightning activity and thunderstorm initiation in the basin are examined using continuous total lightning observations from the Earth Networks Global Lightning Network (ENGLN) for September 2014–August 2018. Seasonal shifts in the intertropical convergence zone produce semiannual lightning maxima over the lake. Diurnally, solar heating and lake and valley breezes produce daytime lightning maxima north and east of the lake, while at night the peak lightning density propagates southwestward across the lake. Cluster analysis reveals terrain-related thunderstorm initiation hot spots northeast of the lake; clusters also initiate over the lake and northern lowlands. The most prolific clusters initiate between 1100 and 1400 LT, about 1–2 h earlier than the average cluster. Most daytime thunderstorms dissipate without reaching Lake Victoria, and annually 85% of clusters producing over 1000 flashes over Lake Victoria initiate in situ. Initiation times of prolific Lake Victoria clusters exhibit a bimodal seasonal cycle: equinox-season thunderstorms initiate most frequently between 2200 and 0400 LT, while solstice-season thunderstorms initiate most frequently from 0500 to 0800 LT, more than 12 h after the afternoon convective peak over land. More extreme clusters are more likely to have formed over land and propagated over the lake, including 36 of the 100 most extreme Lake Victoria thunderstorms. These mesoscale clusters are most common during February–April and October–November.
45
Liu, Chuntao, Earle R. Williams, Edward J. Zipser, and Gary Burns. "Diurnal Variations of Global Thunderstorms and Electrified Shower Clouds and Their Contribution to the Global Electrical Circuit." Journal of the Atmospheric Sciences 67, no. 2 (February 1, 2010): 309–23. http://dx.doi.org/10.1175/2009jas3248.1.
Full textAbstract:
Abstract The long-standing mainstay of support for C. T. R. Wilson’s global circuit hypothesis is the similarity between the diurnal variation of thunderstorm days in universal time and the Carnegie curve of electrical potential gradient. This rough agreement has sustained the widespread view that thunderstorms are the “batteries” for the global electrical circuit. This study utilizes 10 years of Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) observations to quantify the global occurrence of thunderstorms with much better accuracy and to validate the comparison by F. J. W. Whipple 80 years ago. The results support Wilson’s original ideas that both thunderstorms and electrified shower clouds contribute to the DC global circuit by virtue of negative charge carried downward by precipitation. First, the precipitation features (PFs) are defined by grouping the pixels with rain using 10 years of TRMM observations. Thunderstorms are identified from these PFs with lightning flashes observed by the Lightning Imaging Sensor. PFs without lightning flashes but with a 30-dBZ radar echo-top temperature lower than −10°C over land and −17°C over ocean are selected as possibly electrified shower clouds. The universal diurnal variation of rainfall, the raining area from the thunderstorms, and possibly electrified shower clouds in different seasons are derived and compared with the diurnal variations of the electric field observed at Vostok, Antarctica. The result shows a substantially better match from the updated diurnal variations of the thunderstorm area to the Carnegie curve than Whipple showed. However, to fully understand and quantify the amount of negative charge carried downward by precipitation in electrified storms, more observations of precipitation current in different types of electrified shower clouds are required.
46
Nedostrelova, L., V. Chumachenko, and V. Nedostrelov. "A study of the statistical characteristics of integrated energy transfers to the blocking process." Physical Geography and Geomorphology 89, no. 1 (2018): 105–9. http://dx.doi.org/10.17721/phgg.2018.1.14.
Full textAbstract:
Thunderstorm is an atmospheric phenomenon that manifests itself in the form of electrical discharges in cumulonimbus clouds of lightning. Usually, lightning arise between the surfaces of the earth and the clouds. Sometimes electric flashes can go inside the cloud. At the same time on Earth there are about one and a half thousand thunderstorms, the average intensity of discharges is estimated at 46 zips per second. On the surface of the planet thunderstorms are distributed unevenly. Above the ocean thunderstorm is observed about ten times less than over continents. In the tropical and subtropical zone, about 78% of all bursts of lightning are concentrated. The maximum thunderstorm activity is in Central Africa. The intensity of thunderstorms follows the sun: the maximum of thunderstorms is observed in the summer (in medium latitudes) and in the afternoon. The minimum of registered thunderstorms falls on time before sunrise. Storm in Ukraine is constantly happening even in the winter months. They are especially dangerous in the steppe zone, the strikes of lightning strike all that, at least slightly rising above the grass or shrub. Lightning - an electrical discharge between the clouds or between the cloud and the earth. Inthe process of formation of rainfall in the cloud, the electrification of droplets or ice particles occurs. As a result of strong upward flow of air in the cloud, separate regions are formed, charged with different charges. When the intensity of the electric field in the cloud or between the lower charged region and the ground reaches a breakdown value, lightning arises. In such a weather, there are stormy clouds. As a rule, this event is accompanied by thunder, shower, hail and strong wind. The high density of settlements and agro-industrial facilities in the south of Ukraine, the intensity of air transportation at the international airport of Odessa and the construction of high-rise buildings require increased attention to prevent the devastating effects of natural hydrometeorological phenomena. One of the most dangerous HMAs for a society's life is a variety of convective phenomena, that is, showers, thunderstorms, hailstones, squalls, and tornadoes. They significantly affect the life, health and economic activity of man. For example, the defeat of people, aircraft with lightning, radio interference, interruptions in electrical supply - this is not a complete list of negative factors associated with thunderstorms. The purpose of the work was to study lightning activity at the Odessa airfield for 2013-2017 years. Daily observation of atmospheric phenomena was used as the source data for the study.
47
Zhang, Ailin, Shi Zhang, Xiaoda Xu, Haibin Zhong, and Bo Li. "Variation Characteristics of the Wind Field in a Typical Thunderstorm Event in Beijing." Applied Sciences 12, no. 23 (November 24, 2022): 12036. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/app122312036.
Full textAbstract:
The understanding of wind field characteristics during thunderstorms is key to structural design for resistance to thunderstorms. In this paper, the directional thunderstorm wind model is adopted to analyze the characteristics of vertical variations of the wind field in a typical thunderstorm event in the Beijing urban area, based on the measured data. First, the longitudinal and lateral fluctuating wind speed components were decoupled and the change of direction was obtained. Then, variation of the wind speed, wind direction, turbulence intensity, turbulence integral length scale, and gust factor with the height and time were studied. The measured thunderstorm wind spectrum and the coherence function of horizontal longitudinal reduced turbulent fluctuations were analyzed and compared with empirical models. The results showed that the wind speed profile presented an obvious “nose shape” near the peak wind speed. The longitudinal turbulence integral scale was larger than the lateral one. The Von Karman spectrum is relatively effective in fitting the thunderstorm wind spectrum. Compared with synoptic winds, the gust factor during the pass of thunderstorm wind is larger, so it seems necessary to consider the influence of thunderstorm wind in engineering design.
48
Lin, Pin-Fang, Pao-Liang Chang, Ben Jong-Dao Jou, James W. Wilson, and Rita D. Roberts. "Objective Prediction of Warm Season Afternoon Thunderstorms in Northern Taiwan Using a Fuzzy Logic Approach." Weather and Forecasting 27, no. 5 (June 4, 2012): 1178–97. http://dx.doi.org/10.1175/waf-d-11-00105.1.
Full textAbstract:
Abstract In this study, a fuzzy logic algorithm is developed to provide objective guidance for the prediction of afternoon thunderstorms in northern Taiwan using preconvective predictors during the warm season (May–October) from 2005 to 2008. The predictors are derived from surface stations and sounding measurements. The study is limited to 277 days when synoptic forcing was weak and thermal instability produced by the solar heating is primarily responsible for thunderstorm initiation. The fuzzy algorithm contains 29 predictors and associated weights. The weights are based on the maximum of the critical success index (CSI) to forecast afternoon thunderstorms. The most important predictors illustrate that under relatively warm and moist synoptic conditions, sea-breeze transport of moisture into the Taipei Basin along with weak winds inland provide favorable conditions for the occurrence of afternoon convective storms. In addition, persistence of yesterday’s convective storm activity contributed to improving today’s forecast. Skill score comparison between the fuzzy algorithm and forecasters from the Taiwan Central Weather Bureau showed that for forecasting afternoon thunderstorms, the fuzzy logic algorithm outperformed the operational forecasters. This was the case for both the calibration and independent datasets. There was a tendency for the forecasters to overforecast the number of afternoon thunderstorm days. The fuzzy logic algorithm is able to integrate the preconvective predictors and provide probability guidance for the prediction of afternoon thunderstorms under weak synoptic-scale conditions, and could be implemented in real-time operations as a forecaster aid.
49
DiGangi, Elizabeth A., Michael Stock, and Jeff Lapierre. "Thunder Hours: How Old Methods Offer New Insights into Thunderstorm Climatology." Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society 103, no. 2 (February 2022): E548—E569. http://dx.doi.org/10.1175/bams-d-20-0198.1.
Full textAbstract:
Abstract Lightning data are often used to measure the location and intensity of thunderstorms. This study presents 5 years of data from the Earth Networks Global Lightning Detection Network (ENGLN) in the form of thunder hours. A thunder hour is defined as an hour during which thunder can be heard from a given location, and thunder hours can be calculated for the entire globe. Thunder hours are an intuitive measure of thunderstorm frequency where the 1-h interval corresponds to the life-span of most thunderstorms, and the hourly temporal resolution of the data also represents long-lived systems well. Flash-density-observing systems are incredibly useful, but they have some drawbacks that limit how they can be used to quantify global thunderstorm activity on a climatological scale: flash density distributions derived from satellite observations must sacrifice a great deal of their spatial resolution in order to capture the diurnal convective cycle, and the detection efficiencies of ground-based lightning detection systems are not uniform in space or constant in time. Examining convective patterns in the context of thunder hours lends insight into thunderstorm activity without being heavily influenced by network performance, making thunder hours particularly useful for studying thunderstorm climatology. The ENGLN thunder hour dataset offers powerful utility to climatological studies involving lightning and thunderstorms. This study first shows that the ENGLN thunder hours dataset is very consistent with past measurements of global thunderstorm activity and the global electric circuit using only 5 years of data. Then, this study showcases thunder anomaly fields, designed to be analogous to temperature anomalies, which can be used to diagnose changes in thunderstorm frequency relative to the long-term mean in both time and space.
50
Ogunsua, Babalola O., Xiushu Qie, Abhay Srivastava, Oladipo Emmanuel Abe, Charles Owolabi, Rubin Jiang, and Jing Yang. "Ionospheric Perturbations Due to Large Thunderstorms and the Resulting Mechanical and Acoustic Signatures." Remote Sensing 15, no. 10 (May 15, 2023): 2572. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/rs15102572.
Full textAbstract:
Perturbations from thunderstorms can play a notable role in the dynamics of the ionosphere. In this work, ionospheric perturbation effects due to thunderstorms were extracted and studied. Thunderstorm-associated lightning activities and their locations were detected by the World-Wide Lightning Location Network (WWLLN). The mechanical components of ionospheric perturbations due to thunderstorms were extracted from the total electron content (TEC), which was measured at selected thunderstorm locations using the polynomial filtering method. Further analyses were conducted using wavelet analysis and Discrete Fourier Transform (DFT) to study the frequency modes and periodicities of TEC deviation. It was revealed that the highest magnitudes of TEC deviations could reach up to ~2.2 TECUs, with dominant modes of frequency in the range of ~0.2 mHz to ~1.2 mHz, falling within the gravity wave range and the second dominant mode in the acoustic range of >1 mHz to <7.5 mHz. Additionally, a 20–60 min time delay was observed between the sprite events, the other high-energy electrical discharges, and the time of occurrence at the highest peak of acoustic-gravity wave perturbations extracted from TEC deviations. The possible mechanism responsible for this phenomenon is further proposed and discussed.