Characteristics of Regions with High-Density Initiation of Flashes in Mesoscale Convective Systems

Abstract

To investigate the characteristics of regions exhibiting multiple lightning initiations within a finite volume and a short time, the lightning location data obtained from the convective regions of 14 mesoscale convective systems were analyzed in combination with data from radar. In total, 415 out of 5996 radar grids (1 km × 1 km × 0.5 km) were found to initiate more than one flash within 6 min. Only 49 grids showed an initiation density of more than two flashes within 6 min. The grids with high flash initiation densities were found to have a similar distribution to those with one lightning initiation within 6 min, in terms of altitude and reflectivity relative to altitude. They also showed similar trends in their frequency evolution. The grids with higher initiation densities seemed to be more concentrated in the altitude range of 9–13 km. However, only one was found to form at a lower altitude near the melting level when lightning initiation clearly declined. Moreover, the spatial relationship of this lower higher-initiation density grid to the reflectivity core was different to that in the main altitude range. In this paper, the possible dynamic and electrical mechanisms of the formation of this lower higher-initiation density grid are discussed.