Lightning and Storm Type in Central Alabama

This study assessed the relationship between cloud-to-ground (CG) lightning and storm type on high-lightning days in Central Alabama during 2007 – 2011 with an emphasis on identifying which types of storms produce the most lightning. Five variables were used to classify high-lightning thunderstorms into 4 types. The storm types include: 1) spring linear events with high CG flash rates; 2) summer airmass events with a high percentage of area above 40 dBZ; 3) spring weak events representing several thunderstorm modes and; 4) summer Mesoscale Convective Systems with high flash rates and the highest percentage of areas above 40 dBZ. This research has the potential to aid forecasters in decision making by associating lightning potential with storm type characteristics observed on days with frequent lightning.