Initial Results from the 1998 Oklahoma Lightning Study



In May and June of 1998 the New Mexico Tech LMA system was deployed in central Oklahoma. The ten stations were spread over an area of approximately 40 km by 40 km. The following maps show the locations of the LMA stations:

Map of LMA station locations in Oklahoma

Map of Oklahoma



Here are some MPG movies from the analyses of two lightning discharges in Oklahoma. The plots have five windows in them:

The top t vs. z plot shows all the points located in the given time interval. The time is given in seconds, and the altitude z of the radiation source is given in kilometers. The number of points can be limited if desired. For example, two distinct discharges at different locations could occur at the same time, so the operator may choose to look at only one of the dishcarges in detail. Or the operator may narrow in on a particular event in time which he does not want obsured by other data points. The lower four plots show data points from the top plot which have been selected for such reasons. The lower t vs. z plot shows the time development of the altitude of the selected points. The x vs. y plot shows a plan view of the lightning discharge, where x is the distance east or west of the center of the array, and y is the distance north or south of the center. All distances are given in kilometers. The small squares in the x vs. y plot show the locations of the LMA stations. The x vs. z and y vs. z plots show the projections of the points on the xz and yz planes.