Climatological diurnal variation of negative CG lightning peak current over the continental United States. Issue 2 (29th January 2015)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Chronis, T.; Cummins, K.; Said, R.; Koshak, W.; McCaul, E.; Williams, E. R.; Stano, G. T.; Grant, M.
• Is Part Of: Journal of geophysical research. Volume 120:Issue 2(2015:Feb.)
• Page Start: 582
• Page End: 589
• Publication Date: 2015-01-29
• Subjects: Atmospheric physics -- Periodicals; Geophysics -- Periodicals; 551.5
• DOI: 10.1002/2014JD022547
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 2169-897X

Abstract

<abstract abstract-type="main"> <title>Abstract</title> <p>This study provides an 11 year climatology of the diurnal variability of the cloud‐to‐ground (CG) lightning peak current. The local diurnal variation of peak current for negative polarity CG (−CG) flashes exhibits a highly consistent behavior, with increasing magnitudes between the late night to early morning hours and decreasing magnitudes during the afternoon. Over most regions, an inverse relationship exists between the −CG peak current and the corresponding −CG activity, although specific details can depend on region and time of day. Overall, the diurnal variation of the −CG peak current appears to reflect fundamental differences between morning and afternoon storms, but additional studies are required to clearly identify the primary cause(s).</p> </abstract>