Insights into thunderstorm characteristics from geostationary lightning jump and dive observations

Abstract

The objective of this study is to gain a deeper understanding of geostationary (GEO) satellite data, with a specific emphasis on sudden increases in a storm’s lightning activity, referred to as lightning jumps (LJs), and decreases, known as lightning dives (LDs). To achieve this, observations from the Geostationary Lightning Mapper (GLM) and the Advanced Baseline Imager (ABI) on the GOES satellite are utilized to analyze the cloud characteristics of thunderstorms. Storms are then categorized based on whether they produced GEO LJs, GEO LDs, and/or severe weather. While non-severe thunderstorms have a mean cloud top temperature of 236 K, cloud tops are about 20 K colder for severe storms as well as those producing LJs and LDs. Overshooting tops (OTs) in storms producing LJs and LDs as well as in severe storms were about 3.4, 1.9, and 2.6 K colder, respectively, than the cloud cell as a consequence of structured and intense updrafts. On the other hand, OTs are rare and shallow in the non-severe storms and thunderstorms without LJs and LDs. Accordingly, the convective rain rates (CRRs) of the LJ- (23 mm h−1) and LD-producing storms (20 mm h−1) and severe storms (20 mm h−1) are on average more than 3 times higher than in non-severe thunderstorms and storms without LJs or LDs. Thunderstorms experiencing multiple GEO LJs during their lifecycle feature average cloud top temperatures of 213 K, with an average of 0.5 OTs being 4.8 K colder than the anvil and a mean CRR exceeding 26.4 mm h−1. Therefore, especially those storms with multiple LJs have the highest potential to produce dangerous-weather events.