Lightning strike map – track current thunderstorms by lightning detection

Many of us have heard of this weather phenomenon, but only a few really understand it. Here we will explain what exactly a lightning Strike Map is and how it works!

What is a lightning radar?

Lightning radar is a radar specifically designed to look for thunderstorms. The invention of lightning radar dates back to 1940, when Robert Watson-Watt in the UK developed the first system capable of locating lightning.

The radar was based on the principle of night vision and was thus able to detect lightning within a radius of several hundred kilometers. In the following years, the system was further developed and improved so that today it is able to detect almost any lightning within a radius of about 800 kilometers.

How does a lightning Strike Map work?

If you’ve ever watched a thunderstorm, you may have noticed that the thunder often comes a few seconds after the lightning. This is due to the speed of sound, which is about 340 meters per second. The speed of light, on the other hand, is infinitely fast.

For this reason, lightning radar can be used to determine the exact location of the thunderstorm. The radar sends a beam of electromagnetic waves into the atmosphere and receives the echo that is reflected back from the raindrops or ice particles. Based on the travel time of the signal, the radar can calculate how far away the thunderstorm is. So a lightning radar is nothing more than a weather radar specifically designed to look for thunderstorms.

How does a lightning Strike map locate where lightning will strike?

Lightning location is the determination of the position of lightning in real-time. The most common method of lightning location is triangulation, in which three or more receivers time the strike and send their positions to a central computer. This then calculates the position of the lightning. Lightning location can also be used to determine the position of thunderstorms.

Because lightning is very fast, it often cannot be seen by the eye. However, if several receivers measure the time of the strike and send their positions to a central computer, the computer can calculate the position of the thunderstorm. Lightning detection is also useful for determining the position of weather phenomena such as tornadoes or hurricanes. Because these phenomena are very fast, they often cannot be seen by the eye. However, if several receivers measure the time of impact and send their positions to a central computer, the computer can calculate the position of the phenomenon.

How does lightning occur?

Lightning is an electrical discharge that occurs between clouds or between a cloud and the earth. Most lightning occurs when cumulonimbus clouds (thunderclouds) form. In these clouds, the air is very moist and updrafts occur. The updrafts cause the clouds to get higher and higher until they reach their limit. When the cloud reaches this limit, the lightning can be emitted downwards.

What Is Thunder?

Thunder is caused by the extreme heat associated with the lightning flash. In less than a second, the air is heated to 15,000 to 60,000 F. When the air is heated to such a high temperature, it rapidly expands (“explodes”) and then contracts. It’s this rapid expansion/contraction of the air molecules which causes sound waves which we ”

How many volts does a normal lightning bolt have?

Many people wonder how many volts a normal lightning bolt has. In fact, it is hard to say because there is no such thing as “normal” lightning. The voltage of lightning strikes varies greatly and depends on many factors, such as the height of the thunderstorm, the number of clouds, and the type of ground. However, the voltage is usually between 100 million and 1 billion volts.

What are the different types of lightning?

Lightning can be divided into several categories, depending on its shape and structure. The most common types of lightning are cloud-to-ground lightning, thunderstorm lightning, and weather lightning.

How hot is lightning on average?

If you’ve ever wondered how hot lightning is, you’re not alone. However, experts agree that the temperature of lightning is about 30,000 degrees Fahrenheit. This is about five times hotter than the surface of the sun!

What Does Lightning Usually Strike?

Lightning comes from a parent cumulonimbus cloud. These thunderstorm clouds are formed wherever there is enough upward motion, instability in the vertical, and moisture to produce a deep cloud that reaches up to levels somewhat colder than freezing.

These conditions are most often met in summer. In general, the U.S. mainland has a decreasing amount of lightning toward the northwest. Over the entire year, the highest frequency of cloud-to-ground lightning is in Florida between Tampa and Orlando. This is due to the presence, on many days during the year, of a large moisture content in the atmosphere at low levels (below 5,000 feet), as well as high surface temperatures that produce strong sea breezes along the Florida coasts.

The western mountains of the United States also produce strong upward motions and contribute to frequent cloud-to-ground lightning. There are also high frequencies along the Gulf of Mexico coast westward to Texas, the Atlantic coast in the southeast United States, and inland from the Gulf. Regions along the Pacific west coast have the least cloud-to-ground lightning.

Flashes that do not strike the surface are called cloud flashes. They may be inside a cloud, travel from one part of a cloud to another, or from cloud to air.

Where does lightning most often occur in the world?

In principle, the highest density of lightning occurs where warm and cold air masses meet, i.e. in the coastal regions of the tropics. However, if we do not look at the entire earth, but limit ourselves to land areas, South America is the front-runner – by far.

Can there be lightning without thunder?

Many people think that it always thunders when there is lightning. But this is not always true! It can also happen that it flashes without thundering. You often can’t hear the thunder if the lightning is particularly far away.  The air is simply too thick for the sound to propagate well.

Can Lightning Be Detected?

Since the 1980s, cloud-to-ground lightning flashes have been detected and mapped in real time across the entire United States by several networks. Flashes have also been detected from space during the past few years by an optical sensor. This experimental satellite covers the earth twice a day in tropical regions. The satellite also detects flashes that do not strike the ground, but cannot tell the difference between ground strikes and cloud flashes.

How dangerous is lightning?

Lightning is one of the most dangerous forces of nature. Every year, an average of 24,000 people die as a result of direct or indirect contact with a lightning strike. However, the risk of being struck by lightning is relatively low.

What Types of Damage Can Lightning Cause?

Cloud-to-ground lightning can kill or injure people by direct or indirect means. The lightning current can branch off to a person from a tree, fence, pole, or other tall object. It is not known if all people are killed who are directly struck by the flash itself. In addition, flashes may conduct their current through the ground to a person after the flash strikes a nearby tree, antenna, or other tall object. The current also may travel through power or telephone lines, or plumbing pipes to a person who is in contact with an electric appliance, telephone, or plumbing fixture.

Similarly, objects can be directly struck and this impact may result in an explosion, burn, or total destruction. Or, the damage may be indirect when the current passes through or near it. Sometimes, current may enter a building and transfer through wires or plumbing and damage everything in its path. Similarly, in urban areas, it may strike a pole or tree and the current then travels to several nearby houses and other structures and enter them through wiring or plumbing.

What Causes Lightning?

Lightning originates around 15,000 to 25,000 feet above sea level when raindrops are carried upward until some of them convert to ice. For reasons that are not widely agreed upon, a cloud-to-ground lightning flash originates in this mixed water and ice region. The charge then moves downward in 50-yard sections called step leaders. It keeps moving toward the ground in these steps and produces a channel along which charge is deposited. Eventually, it encounters something on the ground that is a good connection. The circuit is complete at that time, and the charge is lowered from cloud to ground.

The flow of charge (current) produces a luminosity that is very much brighter than the part that came down. This entire event usually takes less than half a second.