Abstract
This research focuses on the spatial diversity of cloud-to-ground (CG) flashes in the Kujawsko-Pomorskie voivodeship (Poland) based on data from the PERUN lightning detection system, 2002-2019. The storm season usually lasts from May to September, with July having the highest number of thunderstorms days and flashes. Thunderstorms most often occur in the afternoon. A generated grid of 5×5-km cells was used to characterise the variables related to CG flashes. In the analysed period 432,925 CG flashes were detected in the voivodeship (24,051 flashes year-1). The highest electrical activity was found in the south-eastern part of the province. In grids with a large water surface, the number of CG flashes was small and increased with distance from the Vistula River. The distribution of atmospheric discharges in major cities of the region (Bydgoszcz, Toruń, Włocławek and Grudziądz) was random. Years with greater electrical storm activity (27,614 discharges in 2017) are interspersed with calmer years (5000-7000 discharges). There were found an upward trend in lightning discharges (of 1681 discharges year-1) during period 2002-2019. To develop maps specifying the number of thunderstorm days, a 1×1-km grid cell was used with a 15-km radius buffer from the bin centre. The annual number of thunderstorm days in the voivodeship fluctuates from 27 to 41 days and increases from north-west to south-east. Consecutive days with a thunderstorm, the most common runs are of three days in a row with a storm. The number of thunderstorm days shows an increasing trend (0.82 days year-1). This trend is related to the increase in air temperature in the storm season (Apr-Sept) reaching (0.04°C/year).
Highlights
Thunderstorms pose a threat to human life, health and property
This research focuses on the spatial diversity of cloud-to-ground (CG) flashes in the Kujawsko-Pomorskie voivodeship (Poland) based on data from the PERUN lightning detection system, 2002-2019
The main purpose of the study was to examine the spatial diversity of cloud-to-ground (CG) lightning flashes in the Kujawsko-Pomorskie voivodeship (Poland) in the years 2002-2019, to determine the daily, monthly and annual course, and to calculate the number ofthunderstormdaysalongwithtrends.Tocarry out this study, data on CG flashes from the Polish lightning detection system PERUN were used
Summary
Thunderstorms pose a threat to human life, health and property. The danger is generated by severe wind, heavy rainfall and hail and by cloud-to-ground (CG) lightning flashes. According to reports of Statistics Poland (GUS, 2020), on average 16 people die in Poland every year as a result of lightning. The results of years of observation made it possible to carry out climatological studies of storm phenomena, e.g. research by Bielec-Bąkowska (2013) in Poland. These observations did not allow the spatial differentiation of lightning discharges to be determined. The currently used detection methods enable detection of discharges and their division by type and charge. This makes it possible to calculate the number of discharges on a given day, with exact locations
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