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contributor authorLaRoche, Kendell T.;Lang, Timothy J.
date accessioned2018-01-03T11:03:11Z
date available2018-01-03T11:03:11Z
date copyright11/8/2017 12:00:00 AM
date issued2017
identifier othermwr-d-17-0253.1.pdf
identifier urihttp://138.201.223.254:8080/yetl1/handle/yetl/4246611
description abstractAbstractA pyrocumulus is a convective cloud that can develop over a wildfire. Under certain conditions, pyrocumulus clouds become vertically developed enough to produce lightning. NEXRAD dual-polarization weather radar and upgraded National Lightning Detection Network (NLDN) data were used to analyze 10 case studies of ash plumes and pyrocumulus clouds from 2013 that either did or did not produce detected lightning. Past research has shown that pyrocumulus cases are most likely to produce lightning when there is a decrease in differential reflectivity (toward 0 dB) and an increase in the correlation coefficient (to >0.8), as measured by polarimetric radar, due to the transition from pure smoke/ash to frozen hydrometeors. All pyrocumulus cases that produced lightning in this study displayed the polarimetric characteristics of rimed ice within their respective clouds. Time series analysis of radar-inferred ash and rimed ice volumes within ash plumes and pyrocumulus clouds showed that NLDN-detected lightning occurred only after the cloud contained significant amounts of precipitation-sized rimed ice. The results suggest that the recently dual-pol-enabled NEXRADs and the more sensitive NLDN network can be used to explore ash plume and pyrocumulus microphysical structure and lightning production.
publisherAmerican Meteorological Society
typeJournal Paper
journal volume145
journal issue12
journal titleMonthly Weather Review
identifier doi10.1175/MWR-D-17-0253.1
journal fristpage4899
journal lastpage4910
treeMonthly Weather Review:;2017:;volume( 145 ):;issue: 012
contenttypeFulltext


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