Los Alamos Sferic Array Investigation of Lightning VLF/VHF
Phenomenology
M J Heavner,
D A Smith,
A Jacobson, A Waldrum, J Harlin, and K Eack
LAUR-00-4198
STEPS Results
During the 2000 STEPS campaign, 3 LASA stations were deployed in
Colorado for coordinated lightning observations. The June
29, 2000 lightning activity recorded by LASA included a 10
minute period (23:19 - 23:29 UT) with 49 Narrow Bipolar
Events (NBE, see Smith et al, 2000), compared to only 37 non-NBE events.
A tornado occurred between 23:29 and 23:44 and is analyzed by Harlin
et al, poster A52C-25, this session. No LASA events were
recorded from the tornadic cell, while the large number of NBEs were
observed in a larger cell at a greater distance from
the KI LASA station. The LMA, LASA, and RADAR composite
observations are presented.
Above is the radar summary data. The LASA station locations are
indicated as red triangles. The LMA station locations are
black squares. LASA located NBE's are indicated with
black `P's (over the strong convective core of the most
intense storm), and non-NBE LASA located events are
indicated with black circles. The tornado producing storm
is the smaller system due East of the LMA.
The above plot shows the computed location of all VHF sources over an
approximately six hour period of time. The storm
near the LMA produced the tornado, but the large NBE
producing storm was also observed by the LMA. LMA
data is courtesy of New Mexico Tech.
Above is a zoom of the RADAR summary showing in more detail the
location of the NBE's observed by LASA.
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