This study presents an overview of lightning formation and the correlations seen with soil moisture slope along with potential of tornadic thunderstorms. Three moisture classes (large, marginal, small) were created using soil moisture observed during three tornado outbreaks (June-02-1990, April-26-1994, May-13-1995) over the Midwest. Chi-square, Nearest Neighbor, and Point Density calculations were performed and suggest that lightning polarity/frequency shift between soil moisture classes at a = .01. Using lightning characteristics in the thunderstorm lifecycle, one is able to evaluate relative tornadogenesis areas within moisture classes some 8-10 hours in advance. Tornadogenesis points fell within expected areas indicating that borders between marginal and small moisture classes are approximate locations of stage change (mature to dissipation) of the thunderstorm lifecycle. Results are intended to be used as a tool that helps verify situations that are more likely to be tornadic when observing real-time lightning data from thunderstorms crossing significant soil moisture boundaries. / Department of Geography
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:BSU/oai:cardinalscholar.bsu.edu:handle/187956 |
| Date | January 2005 |
| Creators | Berry, Douglas P. |
| Contributors | Arnold, David L |
| Source Sets | Ball State University |
| Detected Language | English |
| Format | 112 leaves : ill. (some col.), col. maps ; 28 cm. |
| Source | Virtual Press |
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