A 3-year observation on analyzing cloud-to-ground lightning in Peninsular Malaysia using graph theory

Abstract

Malaysia has a high amount of lightning events due to its geographical location and tropical climate, leading to substantial destruction of electrical systems and human injuries. Despite numerous studies connecting lightning activity with environmental factors, few had explored the multi-year correlation between strike patterns and times. The present study proposed a new approach employing graph theory to express Cloud-to-Ground Lightning (CGL) strike data. Using data mapping and vertex matrices, this technique visualizes CGL behavior, offering insights into lightning characteristics. The relationship between the CGL strike data across three years (2013, 2014, and 2015) was studied by using simple matching coefficient technique. Results indicate a robust positive correlation between directed graphs created across these years, suggesting consistent CGL strike behaviors in certain regions at Malaysia. The proposed method, in the form of directed edges, reduces the complexity of computation hence making it a promising integration to existing lightning prediction systems.