#WEATHER CHANNEL LIGHTNING TRACKER HOW TO#

Flashes outside of the network have larger location errors and may not even be detected.Įach system may detect more than one stroke (in-cloud or return) for a single lightning flash. Location accuracy is best when lightning occurs within a network of stations. Radio signals are detected by multiple stations (at least 3) are used to determine the location of the stroke by a time-of-arrival technique. Since there are many other sources of radio noise, the systems have to first identify which bursts are likely to be caused by lightning. CG return strokes usually have larger currents that make stronger signals that are easier to detect. A “stroke” can be a fast current within the cloud, or a “return stroke” in a channel to ground. These two systems work by detecting radio waves (sferics) emitted by fast electric currents (strokes) in lightning channels. Then, divide the number of seconds by three and you have figured out the distance to the thunderstorm in kilometers:Įxample: 12 seconds pass between lightning and thunder – 12 seconds divided by 3 equals 4 – that means the thunderstorm is 4 kilometers away.Severe Weather 101 Lightning Detection Lightning Detection NetworksĬurrently, cloud-to-ground (CG) and intra-cloud (IC) lightning flashes are detected and mapped in real-time by two different networks in the United States-the National Lightning Detection Network (NLDN), a system owned and operated by Vaisala Inc, and the Earth Networks Total Lightning Network. Just count the seconds between the lightning and the thunder. If you are aware of this, measuring distance will be a breeze for you. …that is how fast thunder moves towards you. This way, in case of an impact in the immediate vicinity, you offer the smallest surface for the lightning to strike and prevent large voltages from flowing through your body. Ideally, find a dry hollow, crouch down, and encircle your legs with your arms. Power poles are also popular targets for lightning strikes – so you should keep your distance from these as well. If you are outdoors during a thunderstorm, be sure to stay away from trees, hills, lakes, and rivers. The safest place to hide during a thunderstorm is in a house or vehicle. Thus, there is danger even before the thunderstorm is in proximity. Generally, you should seek shelter as quickly as possible at the first sign of thunderstorms since lightning can travel many kilometers. That is the length of the longest lightning ever measured. The thunder is caused by the sudden expansion of the air in the immediate surroundings of the lightning – it can reach temperatures of up to 30,000 degrees Celsius and is only a few centimeters thick! This discharge can occur both by a lightning strike to the ground or to another cloud.

The friction of the water molecules in the cloud creates a high electrical voltage, which is balanced by the discharge of a lightning bolt. The driving engines for a thunderstorm are high solar radiation, water evaporation, and the resulting formation of a cloud (more on cloud formation here). This allows you to locate lightning “live” and in “real-time” yourself. Due to the different arrival times (in the range of milliseconds) of the electromagnetic wave, precise conclusions can be drawn about the impact location and the strength of the lightning. This wave arrives at different radar stations at the speed of light. The measuring technique of the lightning radar makes the decisive contribution here: Each lightning/lightning strike emits an electromagnetic wave that propagates over hundreds of kilometers. The great advantage of our lightning strike map is that thunderstorms and lightning are displayed with a very short delay. Here is what you need to know about thunderstorms and the lightning radar! This way you can see exactly how the thunderstorm has developed over the last hours and minutes and infer where the thunderstorm will move on to. To display the temporal course and direction of the lightning front, simply click on the cursor symbol. Each of these flashes signals a single lightning strike. On the lightning map, you can also see small flashes of lightning, which are indicated by a short, white flash. Blue or green color indicates a relatively weak thunderstorm or weak precipitation.Ĭaution is advised in case of yellow, orange, red, and especially purple coloring:Ī lightning front of this type involves a clear risk of severe weather.

The strength of the thunderstorm is measured with the help of precipitation as also with our storm radar. The lightning map shows you current thunderstorms in color.

#WEATHER CHANNEL LIGHTNING TRACKER HOW TO#

Tracking the current lightning front – How to read the lightning map: Depending on the strength, the precipitation is displayed in blue (weak precipitation), green, yellow, orange (moderate precipitation), red, or purple (very heavy precipitation). Thunderstorms and lightning strikes are indicated by a lightning symbol.

Weather channel lightning tracker