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Integrated Sensor Training (IST) Professional Development Series

Unit 2: Using Lightning Observations

Instructional Component 2.1


CONUS CG Lightning

Bard Zajac and Steve Rutledge

with contributions from
Anthony Mostek, Dan Bikos and Brian Motta


1) Introduction
    CONUS CG Lightning examines lightning detection and lightning climatologies in the contiguous United States (CONUS). The broad objective of this teletraining course is to relate the climatology of cloud-to-ground (CG) lightning to forecaster knowledge of convection and thunderstorms.

    Specific course objectives are:

  • to describe the National Lightning Detection Network and its operation and performance


  • to provide a comprehensive list of national and regional climatologies


  • to examine the distributions of CG lightning over the CONUS and over the County Warning Areas (CWAs) of the participating NWS offices


  • to relate these distributions to forecaster knowledge of convection and thunderstorms




2) Prerequisites, Length, and Difficulty
    Prerequisities: none
    Length: 75 minutes
    Difficulty: basic


3) Teletraining Installation Instructions



4) Training Session Options:
    A) The interactive VISITview training session. (To be used with a VISIT instructor leading the session ). Click here to signup for teletraining. The session will last 75 minutes. This teletraining session uses the VISITview software, where Windows PC (with 128 MB RAM or greater) with an Internet connection is needed.

    B) Web-based training session - a "stand alone" version viewed via a Web browser, with embedded talking points included. This lesson version may be viewed at any time. These slides are ideal for printing from the web-browser, just print preview first to choose portrait or landscape mode. Best viewed with Internet Explorer or Netscape (prior to version 6).

    C) Web-based Visitview session - This version uses the VISITview software within a Web browser, may be viewed at any time. It retains all the functionality of the VISITview software which you see in a "live" teletraining session. The talking points are not included in this lesson version, but can be viewed in a separate Web browser (or printed out beforehand).

    D) local Visitview session - This is the same version of the lesson used in a "live" VISITview teletraining session, but no connection is made to an external VISITview server. You may download the file off this page and go through the lesson on your own in "local mode" by starting the "visitlocal.bat" file. Talking points are not included in this lesson version, but can be viewed in a separate Web browser ( or printed out beforehand).


5) Train the trainer
    Talking points are the instructor's notes on the session organized slide-by-slide. They are intended to supplement local training at the NWS office. Talking points should be viewed in conjunction with the local VISITview session (which can be started using the 'visitlocal.bat' file).

    Talking points can be printed for easy reference.


6) Information contact


7) VISIT On-Line Lightning Resources
    This web site contains a wealth of information on lightning meteorology and lightning applications. This web site also contains a link to Zajac and Rutledge (2001), the Monthtly Weather Review paper on which this teletraining course is based. Zajac and Rultedge can be downloaded as a PDF file.


8) References
    This section contains 1) the main reference for this teletraining course, 2) the main reference for the National Lightning Detection Network, and 3) a comprehensive listing of national and regional lightning climatologies.


    This teletraining course is based on the following article:

    Zajac, B. A,, and S. A. Rutledge, 2001 : Cloud-to-ground lightning activity in the contiguous United States from 1995-1999. Mon. Wea. Rev., 129, 999-1019.


    The National Lightning Detection Network is described in:

    Cummins, K. L., M. J. Murphy, E. A. Bardo, W. L. Hiscox, R. B. Pyle, and A. E. Pifer, 1998: A combined TOA/MDF technology upgrade of the U.S. national lightning detection network. J. Geophys. Res., 103, 9035-9044.


    Published national studies of lightning climatology include:

    Orville, R. E., 1991: Lightning ground flash density in the contiguous United States - 1989. Mon. Wea. Rev., 119, 573-577.

    Orville, R. E., 1994: Cloud-to-ground lightning flash characteristics in the contiguous United States: 1989-1991. J. Geophys. Res., 99, 10,833-10,841.

    Orville, R. E., and A. C. Silver, 1997: Lightning ground flash density in the contiguous United States: 1992-95. Mon. Wea. Rev., 125, 631-638.

    Orville, R. E., and G. R. Huffines, 1999: Lightning ground flash measurements over the contiguous United States: 1995-97. Mon. Wea. Rev., 127, 2693-2703.

    Zajac, B. A,, and S. A. Rutledge, 2001: Cloud-to-ground lightning activity in the contiguous United States from 1995-1999. Mon. Wea. Rev., 129, 999-1019.

    Orville, R. E. and G. R. Huffines, 2001: Cloud-to-ground lightning in the United States: NLDN results in the first decade 1989-1998. Mon. Wea. Rev., 129, 1179-1193.


    Published regional studies of lightning climatology include:

    Maier, L. M., E. P. Krider, and M. W. Maier, 1984: Average diurnal variation of summer lightning over the Florida peninsula. Mon. Wea. Rev., 112, 1134-1140.

    Reap, R. M., 1986: Evaluation of cloud-to-ground lightning data from the western United States for the 1983-84 summer seasons. J. Climate Appl. Meteor., 25, 785-799.

    Lopez, R. E., and R. L. Holle, 1986: Diurnal and spatial variability of lightning activity in northeastern Colorado and central Florida during the summer. Mon. Wea. Rev., 114, 1288-1312.

    Orville, R. E., R. A. Weisman, R. B. Pyle, R. W. Henderson, and R. E. Orville, Jr., 1987: Cloud-to-ground lightning flash characteristics from June 1984 through May 1985. J. Geophys. Res., 92, 5640-5644.

    Reap, R. M., and D. R. MacGorman, 1989: Cloud-to-ground lightning: climatological characteristics and relationships to model fields, radar observations, and severe local storms. Mon. Wea. Rev., 117, 518-535.

    Orville, R. E., 1990: Winter lightning along the East Coast. Geophys. Res. Lett., 17, 713-715.

    Biswas, K. R., and P. V. Hobbs, 1990: Lightning over the Gulf Stream. Geophys. Res. Lett., 17, 941-944.

    King, T. S., and R. C. Balling, Jr., 1994: Diurnal variations in Arizona monsoon lightning data. Mon. Wea. Rev., 122, 1659-1664.

    Watson, A. I., R. E. Lopez, and R. L. Holle, 1994: Diurnal cloud-to-ground lightning patterns in Arizona during the Southwest monsoon. Mon. Wea. Rev., 122, 1716-1725.

    Watson, A. I., R. E. Lopez, and R. L. Holle, 1994: Cloud-to-ground lightning and upper-air patterns during bursts and breaks in the southwest monsoon. Mon. Wea. Rev., 122, 1726-1739.

    Reap, R. M., 1994: Analysis and prediction of lightning strike distribution associated with synoptic map types over Florida. Mon. Wea. Rev., 122, 1698-1715.

    Fosdick, E. K., and A. I. Watson, 1995: Cloud-to-ground lightning patterns in New Mexico during the summer. National Weather Digest, 19, 17-24.

    Clodman, S., and W. Chisholm, 1996: Lightning flash climatology in the southern Great Lakes region. Atmosphere-Ocean, 32, 345-377.

    Watson, A. I., and R. L. Holle, 1996: An eight-year lightning climatology of the southeast United States prepared for the 1996 Summer Olympics. Bull. Amer. Meteor. Soc., 77, 883-890.

    Livingston, E. S, J.W. Nielson-Gammon, and R. E. Orville, 1996: A climatology, synoptic assessment, and thermodynamic evaluation for cloud-to-ground lightning in Georgia: A study for the 1996 Summer Olympics. Bull. Amer. Meteor. Soc., 77, 1483-1495.

    Lopez, R. E., R. L. Holle, and A. I. Watson, 1997: Spatial and temporal distributions of lightning over Arizona from a power utility perspective. J. Appl. Met., 36, 825-831.

    Hodanish, S., D. Sharp, W. Collins, C. Paxton, and R. E. Orville, 1997: A 10-yr monthly lightning climatology of Florida: 1986-95. Wea. Forecasting, 12, 439-448.

    Camp, J. P., A. I. Watson, and H. E. Fuelberg, 1998: The diurnal distribution of lightning over north Florida and its relation to the prevailing low-level flow. Wea. Forecasting, 13, 729-739.

    Lericos, T. P., H. E. Fuelberg, A. I. Watson, and R. L. Holle, 2002: Warm season ligthning distributions over the Florida peninsula as related to synoptic patterns. Wea. Forecasting, 17, 83-98.


    Web-based regional studies of lightning climatology include:

    Cook, K. R, R. E. Lopez, R. L. Holle, and D. A. Baumgardt: Lightning strike density patterns in the upper Missippi River Valley.

    Handel, R., K. Mielke, and D. Bernhardt: Montana Lightning Climatology.

    Hodanish, S., D. Sharp, W. Collins, and C. Paxton: Florida Monthly Lightning Climatology.

    Lericos, T., et al.: Florida and Gulf Coast Ligtning Climatology.



9) Content developed/updated
    1999