Seasonal, Regional, and Storm-Scale Variability of Cloud-to-Ground Lightning Characteristics in Florida

被引:30
作者
Rudlosky, Scott D. [1 ]
Fuelberg, Henry E. [1 ]
机构
[1] Florida State Univ, Dept Earth Ocean & Atmospher Sci, EOAS Meteorol, Tallahassee, FL 32306 USA
关键词
CONTIGUOUS UNITED-STATES; DETECTION NETWORK; FOREST-FIRE; THUNDERSTORMS; DISTRIBUTIONS; DISCHARGES; SUMMER; COLORADO; POLARITY; FLASHES;
D O I
10.1175/2010MWR3585.1
中图分类号
P4 [大气科学(气象学)];
学科分类号
0706 ; 070601 ;
摘要
Seasonal, regional, and storm-scale variations of cloud-to-ground (CG) lightning characteristics in Florida are presented. Strong positive CG(+CG) and negative CG(-CG) flashes (i.e., having large peak current) are emphasized since they often are associated with strong storms, structural damage, and wildfire ignitions. Although strong -CG flashes are most common during the warm season (May-September) over the peninsula, the greatest proportion of strong +CG flashes occurs during the cool season (October-April) over the panhandle. The warm season exhibits the smallest +CG percentage but contains the greatest +CG flash densities, due in part to more ambiguous +CG reports (15-20 kA). The more frequent occurrence of ambiguous +CG reports helps explain the unusually small average +CG peak current during the warm season, whereas strong +CG reports (>20 kA) appear to be responsible for the greater average warm season +CG multiplicity. The -CG flash density, multiplicity, and peak current appear to be directly related, exhibiting their greatest values during the warm season when deep storms are most common. A case study examines the atmospheric conditions and storm-scale processes associated with two distinct groups of storms on 13-14 May 2007. Although these groups of storms form in close proximity, several factors combine to produce predominately strong +CG and -CG flashes in the northern (south Georgia) and southern (north Florida) regions, respectively. Results suggest that heat and smoke very near preexisting wildfires are key ingredients in producing reversed-polarity (+CG dominated) storms that often ignite subsequent wildfires.
引用
收藏
页码:1826 / 1843
页数:18
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