Lightning Rates Relative to Tornadic Storm Evolution on 22 May 1981

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Abstract
On 22 May 1981, we acquired lightning and Doppler radar data on two tornadic storms in Oklahoma. Cloud-to-ground lightning flash rates were measured with a magnetic direction-finder network, and total flash rates in the vicinity of the mesocyclone were measured with an L-band radar. In both storms, there was no clear relationship between tornado occurrence and ground flash rates of the storm as a whole, but the stroke rate of each storm was highest after it stopped producing tornadoes. For the second storm, we examined both intracloud and cloud-t-ground lightning rates relative to mesocyclone evolution, analyzing the region within 10 km of the mesocyclone core. Our analysis began during initial stages of the mesocyclone core associated with the fourth and strongest of five tornadoes in the storm and continued until all mesocyclone cores in the storm dissipated. During this period, intracloud lightning flash rates reached a peak of almost 14 min−1 approximately 10 min after the peak in cyclonic sh... Abstract On 22 May 1981, we acquired lightning and Doppler radar data on two tornadic storms in Oklahoma. Cloud-to-ground lightning flash rates were measured with a magnetic direction-finder network, and total flash rates in the vicinity of the mesocyclone were measured with an L-band radar. In both storms, there was no clear relationship between tornado occurrence and ground flash rates of the storm as a whole, but the stroke rate of each storm was highest after it stopped producing tornadoes. For the second storm, we examined both intracloud and cloud-t-ground lightning rates relative to mesocyclone evolution, analyzing the region within 10 km of the mesocyclone core. Our analysis began during initial stages of the mesocyclone core associated with the fourth and strongest of five tornadoes in the storm and continued until all mesocyclone cores in the storm dissipated. During this period, intracloud lightning flash rates reached a peak of almost 14 min−1 approximately 10 min after the peak in cyclonic sh...

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