Spatial features of thunderstorm activity in the North Caucasus from meteorological and instrumental data

Abstract

The timely detection of lightning location and observations of the spatial and temporal development of thunderstorm clouds in many cases enable avoiding or reducing considerably the damage caused by them. In recent years, the instrumental methods of thunderstorm detection have been developed in Roshydromet. Two sets (of four sensors each) of LS8000 lightning detectors were installed in the North Caucasian and Moscow regions. Considered is one of the possible ways of deriving the equation for computing the number of thunderstorm days based on the instrumental observations using the LS8000 lightning detector. The method is based on the interrelation between the area of the territory and the probability of lightning detection during a year. Carried out is the comparative analysis of the results of thunderstorm activity registration based on the data of instrumental measurements and observations at weather stations.