NASA lightning map reveals where it strikes most

Chuck Bednar for redOrbit.com – @BednarChuck

If you’re trying to avoid lightning strikes (which most of you probably are), make sure you steer clear of land located close to the Equator! A new map compiled by the folks at NASA shows what regions of the world are most likely to experience these sudden electrostatic discharges.

The map was created using data obtained by the Lightning Imaging Sensor (LIS) on NASA’s Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission satellite from 1998 through 2003, as well as the Optical Transient Detector (OTD) on the OrbView-1/Microlab satellite from 1995 through 2000, the US space agency explained. Flashes above 38 degrees north were based on OTD data only.

Lightning can strike far more than twice in some places

According to Discovery News, the data showed that lightning strikes were more likely to occur on land than in the water because solid earth absorbs sunlight and heats up more quickly than water. As a result, there is stronger convection and greater atmospheric instability on land, which leads to formation of storms capable of producing thunder and lightning.

NASA scientists note that the data also revealed some unusual regional trends. For instance, they observed a high number of flashes in the Brahmaputra Valley of far eastern India during the month of May. This is due to unstable heating and weather patterns that occur just prior to the start of the monsoon, which brings a significant amount of rain but far less lightning.

Central Africa and northwestern South America, on the other hand, tend to have large amounts of lightning throughout the entire year, the agency revealed. The map also indicates that the most lightning flashes occur in the far eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, and Lake Maracaibo in northwestern Venezuela (which reportedly has lightning storms 300 nights per year).

Meet the instruments

TRMM, a research satellite jointly operated by NASA and the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, is designed to measure rainfall for weather and climate research purposes. The primary goal of its mission was to enhance understanding of the distribution and variability of precipitation within the tropics as part of the current climate system’s water cycle.

OrbView-1/Microlab, on the other hand, was an imaging satellite designed to collect affordable, high-quality images of the Earth for various purposes. Its OTD instrument counted the number of lightning flashes, measured their intensity, and noted the time and location of occurrence. It was also a prototype for the TRMM’s Lightning Imaging Sensor (LIS) instrument.

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