On the other hand, the sun may lure people out of shelter to resume outdoor activities when lightning is still within striking distance. Oftentimes, people do not seek shelter or stop outdoor operations quickly enough to protect themselves from the lightning strikes that occur before the storm. The greatest number of lightning casualties happen right before a thunderstorm arrives and right after it begins to depart. By the time a thunderstorm is overhead, most people have already sought shelter. Most people would think that they’re most at risk during a thunderstorm when it’s directly overhead. Knowing this sweet spot can help you protect your airport and ground operations from a lightning strike. This is when the most injuries and deaths occur as a result of lightning. Threat of Lightning Casualtiesīelieve it or not, there is a “sweet spot” of sorts when it comes to lightning incidents. Lightning sensors work to detect lightning both in-cloud and cloud-to-ground lightning at the end of the development. That’s why trees, air-traffic control towers, and even people make great lightning conductors! The positive charge from the ground connects with the negative charge from the cloud, creating cloud-to-ground lightning. This is attracted to the negative charge at the bottom of the cloud, so it concentrates around anything that sticks up into the air. Lightning heads towards the ground and becomes a danger to those outdoors when a build up of positive charge happens on the ground beneath the cloud. When both charges grow large enough, lightning occurs between them. The heavier negatively-charged particles sink to the bottom. These particles hitting each other create an electrical charge.Īs the cloud fills up with electrical charges, lighter positive-charged particles form at the top of the cloud. Lots of small pieces of ice bump into each other as they move around. When this hot air and cold air meet, a thunderstorm forms. It’s so cold that the water vapor turns into ice! Lightning Development: Stage 1 In the tops of clouds, temperatures are actually below freezing. As warm air rises, the cloud gets bigger and bigger. When the ground is hot, it heats up the air above it. So how does lightning develop? While scientists aren’t completely sure why lightning happens, we do know how it happens. In fact, lightning is detected in an overwhelming majority of storm reports within a 30 km radius and 45 minutes before and after a severe weather event:ĩ0% of high wind reports include lightningĩ4% of all tornado reports include lightningĩ9.6% of all hail reports include lightning Lightning Development Why is that important? When you break it down, lightning is the most reliable indicator of storms. Total lightning networks detect the most at-risk areas and are able to prompt advanced warnings for thunderstorms and other severe weather events. Total lightning is the complete picture of lightning activity in a region. The combination of in-cloud lightning and cloud-to-ground lightning is called total lightning. In-cloud lightning strikes jump from cloud-to-cloud up in the sky. It’s the type of lightning you don’t always see: in-cloud lightning. What type of lightning makes up the other 80%? These types of lightning strikes, called cloud-to-ground lightning strikes, only make up approximately 20% of all lightning strikes. Maybe, given our discussion of airport operations, your bolt of lightning is striking a plane or an air-traffic control tower. We bet you’re picturing a bolt that seems to extend from the clouds down to the ground or a tree. Severe thunderstorms include many of the threats illustrated above, including:Ĭlose your eyes and picture a lightning strike. The below image shows the various weather conditions identified by our meteorologists that impact airport operations. Data Source: FAA October 2017 Report “Air Traffic by the Numbers”īut did you know that the majority of these delays are from convective weather, like thunderstorms? According to the Federal Aviation Agency, weather is responsible for 69% of all air traffic delays in the National Airspace System. Conditions associated with thunderstorms, winter storms, and extreme events impact various key stakeholders in the industry. We don’t have to tell you that weather greatly impacts airport operations. Key Takeaways Airport Operations and the Weather: An Overview Jump through this helpful guide using the links below or scroll down to read the guide in its entirety and learn everything there is to know about lightning in airport operations. The Ultimate Lightning Guide for Airport Operations The ultimate guide to help airports, airlines, and fixed-base operators (FBOs) navigate lightning’s many safety and operational challenges.
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