A new storm-following tool continually watches for lightning over the open ocean. Combined with satellite microwave data, the new real-time observations will improve forecasts of tropical cyclones.
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Posted inNews
New Model Predicts Lightning Strikes; Alert System to Follow
Data from thousands of past storms help guide a new forecast model that predicts where and when lightning may hit.
Posted inEditors' Highlights
Lightning Data Improves Precipitation Forecasts
Short-term forecasts of precipitation and convection can be improved when lightning data are assimilated in the Weather Research and Forecasting system.
Posted inResearch Spotlights
Lightning Strikes May Leave Traces Like Those of Meteorites
Scientists have long interpreted shocked quartz as definitive evidence of a past meteorite impact, but the shock wave caused by lightning striking granite also produces this distinctive feature.
Posted inResearch Spotlights
When Ice and Lightning Align
A new technique can remotely sense strong electrical fields within storm clouds.
Posted inNews
Panama Study: Tallest Tropical Trees Died Mostly from Lightning
On Barro Colorado Island in the Panama Canal, scientists map lightning strikes and find that they kill mainly the loftiest trees, likely disturbing the forest ecology.
Posted inResearch Spotlights
How Storm Turbulence Can Spark Lightning
The turbulent pockets of air inside storms can help to build up static electricity in the atmosphere, according to a new study.
Posted inResearch Spotlights
Antenna Towers Attract Additional Lightning Strikes
Atmospheric scientists evaluate the influence of human-made structures on lightning data.
Posted inResearch Spotlights
How Lightning Creates "Killer Electrons" in Earth's Radiation Belts
New calculations show that lightning-triggered plasma waves in Earth's magnetosphere absorb energy from slow particles and energize electrons to levels that can damage satellites severely.
Posted inNews
GOES-16 Satellite Lights Up Lightning Flashes in New Video
The satellite's lightning mapper instrument will help scientists forecast extreme weather.