edu.ucar.opensky::articles:6471 UCAR/NCAR - Library OpenSky Support PO Box 3000 Boulder CO 80307-3000 opensky@ucar.edu http://opensky.ucar.edu/ homepage pointOfContact 2025-12-26T15:16:18.697894 ISO 19115-2 Geographic Information - Metadata - Part 2: Extensions for Imagery and Gridded Data ISO 19115-2:2009(E) https://n2t.org/ark:/85065/d78w3dhd Total lightning activity as an indicator of updraft characteristics 2008-08-28T00:00:00Z publication https://n2t.org/ark:/85065/d78w3dhd https://doi.org/10.1029/2007JD009598 Deierling, Wiebke author Petersen, W. author UCAR/NCAR - Library publisher This study investigates the relationship of total lightning activity and updraft characteristics, such as updraft volume and maximum updraft speed, for a number of storms of different types occurring in the High Plains and in Northern Alabama. Ground-based Doppler and dual polarimetric radar observations were used to compute updraft characteristics. Also, ground-based total lightning data were available at both locations. Results show that time series of updraft volume in the charging zone (at temperatures colder than -5°C) with vertical velocities greater than either 5 or 10 m s⁻¹ have clear relationships with total lightning activity (r = 0.93). Furthermore, these relationships between updraft volume and lightning activity for the storm types of the two climate regimes tend to converge when considering only the subfreezing layers of the clouds. Neither the maximum nor the mean updraft speed correlate as well with total lightning activity (r = <0.8) as updraft volume. Through expanded study designed to explore further regime variability (or lack thereof) of updraft volume-lightning flash rate relationships, better or refined parameterizations for the numerical forecasting of lightning and/or detection and prediction of storm intensity could be realized. UCAR/NCAR - Library OpenSky Support PO Box 3000 Boulder CO 80307-3000 opensky@ucar.edu http://opensky.ucar.edu/ homepage pointOfContact PDF Text theme Resource Type 2016-01-01T00:00:00Z publication Copyright 2008 American Geophysical Union. None eng geoscientificInformation