Lightning Risk Assessment - Electric Field Meter, Lightning Location System and Weather Radar Data

Thunderstorms and associated cloud-to-ground flashes have a significant effect on our infrastructure. Reliable assessments of these natural events are challenged by the unpredictable development of thunderstorms and by changes in the climatic conditions. To assess the risk of thunderstorms for a specific area, weather radar data and lightning location data is used, giving an imprint about the current situation of the thunderstorm but is non-predictive regarding lightning strikes. In order to get a better insight into the distribution of electric charge in the cloud and, in the best case, to derive additional information for the prediction of lightning, an electric Field Meter (FM) network was installed in the surrounding of Graz Airport in 2022. Electric field meters provide information about the current electric charge state in a thunderstorm, even before the first stroke occurs. A first analysis of the recorded FM data was performed and is shown for one specific thunderstorm day. The correlation with lightning location system data and weather radar data provided additional information regarding the occurrence of lightning strikes. Thus, the potential for a possible short-term prediction of the first and last lightning strike can be stated by the prevailing conditions of the observed thunderstorm.