Nowcasting of thunderstorms using VHF measurements

Abstract

Cloud electrical activity represents a significant portion of the ability to determine thunderstorm severity. The radiation processes that are involved in cloud lightning lead to a very rich information source for those events in the VHF spectrum. Two types of events occur concomitantly: (1) very short duration impulsive events easily locatable with time-of-arrival techniques; and (2) almost continuous events well suited for interferometric location. These two mapping methods are described in some detail in this chapter, and some comparisons of the results from each method are shown at the flash and storm levels. The comparisons demonstrate a great deal of similarity, despite the fact that these two methods do not display the same individual components within the lightning flash. This chapter concludes with a sample application for nowcasting the thunderstorm threat by showing the great improvement resulting from the use of such VHF location information in thunderstorms warnings. © Springer Science+Business Media B.V. 2009.