Climatology of lightning activity over the Indian seas

Abstract

The climatology of lightning activity over the Indian seas (Arabian Sea (AS) and Bay of Bengal (BoB)) has been studied using monthly satellite-based lightning flash count grid (0.5° × 0.5°) data from 1998 to 2007. These data have been used to investigate the annual and seasonal variations in lightning activity over the Indian seas. It was found that annual variations in flash rate density and sea surface temperature (SST) show a bimodal pattern with the first peak occurring in May and the second in October. The correlation coefficients between flash rate density and SSTs are 0.76 and 0.65 for the AS and BoB, respectively. Further, the relationship between flash rate density and a low pressure system (LPS) over the BoB shows that the formation of severe tropical cyclonic storms starts during April with the maximum number of storms forming during August. The performance of monsoon on a seasonal and monthly basis depends on the total number of lows, the formation of a depression in the monsoon trough, and the number of days with an LPS. Secular decreases in the number of lows and monsoon depressions were observed in 2000, 2002, and 2004. Overall, results indicate that the peaks in SST during April and September/October over the AS and the BoB may be responsible for advancing the onset of the southwest and northeast monsoon by 30-40 days.