Are equatorial negative lightning flashes more intense than those at higher latitudes?

Abstract

For the first time, direct peak-current measurements with an instrumented tower of 27 negative downward lightning flashes were obtained at latitudes below 25°. The measurements were carried out in Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil (geographic latitude 20°S) from 1985 to 1995. The medians of the peak current for the first and subsequent strokes are compared with the values obtained in other locations. The comparison suggests that the first-stroke peak current of negative flashes tends to increase (when moving from high latitudes) towards 30 degrees of geographic latitude, and then remains approximately constant to the equator. The peak current of the subsequent strokes, in turn, seems not to be related to latitude.