The Relationship Between Instantaneous Lightning Flash Rates and TGF Production in Thunderstorms
Published in Journal of Geophysical Research: Atmospheres, 2021
TGFs, which are very intense bursts of high energy radiation that are produced by some lighting, occur in almost every phase of the thunderstorms that produce them. We find that TGFs do not tend to occur when the lightning flash rate is at its peak and that TGFs occur more often after the peak flash rate, in the later stages of the thunderstorms. We also find that TGFs are more likely to occur when the lightning flash rate in the storm is lower than average. Lastly, we find that lightning flashes near the time of the TGFs are usually among the stronger flashes in the storms.
Recommended citation: Larkey, R. K., Sample, J. G., Smith, D. M., Lapierre, J. L., DiGangi, E., & Holzworth, R. H. (2021). "The Relationship Between TGF Production in Thunderstorms and Lightning Flash Rates and Amplitudes" Journal of Geophysical Research: Atmospheres, 126, e2020JD034401. https://doi.org/10.1029/2020JD034401