Preparing the operational community for satellite-based total lightning observations

Short-term Prediction Research and Transition (SPoRT) Center, part of the United States’ NASA program, has been a leader in transitioning total lightning observations to operational forecasters. This effort began in 2003 with a single, NASA-owned ground-based lightning mapping array. The effort has since expanded to include multiple networks supporting a variety of end users for severe weather, safety, and aviation. This effort serves as the foundation for preparing the United States forecaster community for the Geostationary Lightning Mapper (GLM) set to launch aboard GOES-R. This presentation will discuss the GLM and its observations, what total lightning is, and how these data can be used operationally based on ongoing activities to prepare the United States for GLM. The GLM instrument is very similar to the Meteosat Third Generation’s Lightning Imager and presents an opportunity for collaboration between U.S. and EUMETSAT forecasters.

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Lecture slides