Research on lightning and hurricane intensification

[John Farley]

Came across this and thought some might be interested:

http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/N/NM_HURRICANE_STRENGTH_NMOL-?SITE=NMSAN&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT

I was under the general impression that the eyewall of most hurricanes doesn't usually have a whole lot of lightning, but I don't know a whole lot about this, and found this article interesting.

[richhorodner]

Came across this and thought some might be interested:

http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/N/NM_HURRICANE_STRENGTH_NMOL-?SITE=NMSAN&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT

I was under the general impression that the eyewall of most hurricanes doesn't usually have a whole lot of lightning, but I don't know a whole lot about this, and found this article interesting.

In general a mature hurricane has little lightning, except in the outer spiral bands where the tornadoes also can form. One often sees those blue, green (most common color), & red, "sheet" lightnings start at about the same time the first hurricane gusts come ashore: but that is really power flashes from high tension lines.

The textbooks say you have lightning in intensifying and weakening hurricanes.

But as the article says, when a hurricane is rapidly intensifying you can get vivid lightning displays. Some recon flights have reported seeing the eyewall constantly lit up by continuous lightning; and again most likely to be encountered in intensifying storms.

When we intercept a hurricane at landfall, a real bolt of lightning, and thunder if the wind isn't howling so loud you can't hear it, is quite a rare thing. "Was that thunder?, one usually remarks because it is so rare.

BUT, coincidence with the article posted, myself and Brad Riley viewed a tremendous lightning display as we drove down the Overseas Highway thru the Florida Keys the night Hurricane Rita's eye was about to pass to the south of Key West. In the spiral bands longer than normal lasting CG (CW?- cloud to water) bolts were hitting the ocean and Gulf of Mexico all around us. In blinding tropical downpours bolts were flying everywhere for a couple of hours. This superimposed on the eerie green power flashes lit up the ocean and each island we approached as we drove over the bridges.

Rita intensified from 60 knts to 100 knts. during that night and the next day; so the premise of the article fits perfectly here.

As Hurricane Katrina came ashore in S. Florida it was in a fairly rapid intensification period; and I don't recall seeing a single lightning bolt or real lightning flash, though.