The battle for the crown
The physics of a flash
Tracking the flash
Thunder, heat, and safety
Why does Texas always win the highest total lightning 'count' while losing the 'density' title?
futura Scientists use the speed of light and radio waves to calculate exactly where lightning hits.
What type of signal emitted by lightning do ground-based sensors detect to locate a strike?
Which metric do meteorologists use to compare lightning activity fairly between states of completely different sizes?
futura Modern weather satellites carry specialized cameras that map lightning across entire hemispheres.
Within what average distance can the modern National Lightning Detection Network pinpoint a ground strike?
What instrument on modern GOES weather satellites maps lightning from space 500 times per second?
Lightning speed: Ground-based sensors can detect a lightning strike, calculate its exact latitude and longitude, and display it on a map in under 15 seconds.
How does tracking in-cloud lightning from space help meteorologists predict severe weather on the ground?
What mathematical method do computers use to find a strike's location by comparing arrival times at different sensors?