Characterization of Catatumbo Lightning

BÜRGESSER R.; NICORA M.G.; AVILA E. E.

Leipzig

Conferencia; 16th International Conference on Clouds and Precipitation; 2012

Southwest of the Maracaibo Lake in Zulia State, Venezuela, is a region with frequent thunderstorms and significant lightning activity. The phenomenon that takes place in this inhospitable location is known as the ?Catatumbo Lightning?, the most persistent thunderstorm of the world. It is visible throughout almost the whole year in a confined region, lasts up to nine hours every night. According to the Lightning Imaging Sensor (LIS) data, this region presents the highest lightning activity of the world. The region presents a complex topography with particular climate conditions. The lightning activity of the region was examined using the World Wide Lightning Location Network (WWLLN) data. The results show two very localized high-lightning activity centers, one of them is confined around 9.5° N of latitude and 71.5° W of longitude over the southwest region of the Maracaibo Lake, and the another one is around [9°N; 73°W] near the Colombia-Venezuela border. The lightning activity has a semiannual behavior with two maxima, one around May and another one around October. The diurnal cycle of lightning events shows a scarce lightning activity at local noon and it displays a significant lightning activity during the night hours. The diurnal variation is consistent with the nocturnal convection and the precipitation regimens observed in the region.