A frontal thunderstorm with several multi-cell lines found to produce energetic preliminary breakdown

0553343 - ÚFA 2023 RIV US eng J - Journal Article
Kolmašová, Ivana - Soula, S. - Santolík, Ondřej - Farges, T. - Bousquet, O. - Diendorfer, G. - Lán, Radek - Uhlíř, Luděk
A frontal thunderstorm with several multi-cell lines found to produce energetic preliminary breakdown.
Journal of Geophysical Research-Atmospheres. Roč. 127, č. 4 (2022), č. článku e2021JD035780. ISSN 2169-897X. E-ISSN 2169-8996
R&D Projects: GA ČR GA20-09671S; GA MŠMT EF15_003/0000481
Institutional support: RVO:68378289
Keywords : lightning initiation * unusually strong electromagnetic initiation pulses * small short living thunderstorm cells
OECD category: Fluids and plasma physics (including surface physics)
Impact factor: 4.4, year: 2022
Method of publishing: Limited access
https://agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1029/2021JD035780

We combine electromagnetic measurements with meteorological and lightning detection data to explain an observation of unusually strong preliminary breakdown (PB) produced by a thunderstorm system that developed along the Mediterranean Coast of Southern France in the early hours of 19 June 2013. This multi-cellular storm was composed of several parallel convective lines in the NW-SE direction. Our analysis focuses on ten sequences of energetic electromagnetic PB pulses recorded by two receivers located at different distances from this thunderstorm. The peak currents, which generated these strong PB pulses, reached -36 kA. The initial polarity of all observed energetic PB pulses confirmed the movement of the negative charge downward, as in case of PB pulses preceding negative cloud-to-ground discharges. The locations of PB pulses appeared in areas with none or very weak lightning activity. Most PB pulses were initiated in small, short-living, rapidly moving convective storm cells characterized by low reflectivity values (generally < 40 dBZ), weak vertical development, and low flash density. Our findings indicate that the observed thunderstorm might posses temporary strong negatively charged pockets located above a strong positive charge region at low-level. Such charge arrangement, likely explains our observation of unusually strong PB pulses and the absence of RS pulses in electromagnetic recordings.
Permanent Link: http://hdl.handle.net/11104/0328304