Relationships between the Structure of Convective Clouds and Lightning Frequency Derived from Radiophysical Measurements

A. A. Sin’kevich, Yu. P. Mikhailovskii, S. Yu. Matrosov, V. B. Popov,
V. S. Snegurov, A. V. Snegurov, Yu. A. Dovgalyuk, and N. E. Veremei

The results of simultaneous radar, radiometric, and lightning location measurements are analyzed to reveal interrelations between the characteristics of electric discharges and the parameters of a cumulonimbus cloud developing near Saint Petersburg. The dependences of the cloud electric activity on the radar characteristics as well as on the parameters derived from the Meteosat SEVIRI radiometer measurements are considered. It is found that lightning frequency highly correlates with the volume of supercooled cloud regions with high values of reflectivity. An increase in the lightning frequency occurs about 20 minutes after the moment when supercooled cloud volumes with reflectivity above 35–55 dBZ reach the maximum values. The maximum precipitation flux precedes the maximum lightning frequency.