ISRO Develops Satellite-Based System To Predict Lightning Events 2.5 Hours In Advance

In a big boost for public safety, the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has developed a new system capable of predicting lightning events in India up to 2.5 hours in advance using data from Indian geostationary satellites.

Atmospheric lightning is caused by interactions between weather conditions such as surface radiation, temperature, and wind, which trigger convective processes in the lower atmosphere.

Lightning now-casting assumes importance as lightning is a dominant natural hazard over the tropics, ISRO said in a release.

The researchers at ISRO's National Remote Sensing Centre (NRSC) observed lightning signatures in the Outgoing Longwave Radiation (OLR) data from the INSAT-3D satellite.

A drop in OLR strength is an indicator for potential lightning occurrences.

"The near real-time observations from the INSAT series satellites were utilized to detect and identify signatures indicative of lightning occurrences," the ISRO said.

To improve predictive accuracy, ISRO scientists combined this satellite data with additional parameters such as land surface temperature and wind conditions to develop a "composite variable".

"To further enhance the detection of lightning activity, additional parameters such as Land Surface Temperature (LST) and wind were incorporated in the development of a composite variable to improve predictive accuracy. The developed composite variable effectively captures the variations in lightning activity observed by ground-based measurements," ISRO said.

"It provides a reliable indication of when lightning activity is likely to peak or subside, allowing for improved prediction of lightning occurrence and intensity," the Indian space agency said.

"This composite variable enables the prediction of lightning occurrences with a lead time of approximately 2.5 hours," it added.

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