Lightning Strikes In Houston Area

[Ptarmigan]

Wonder about lightning strikes in the Houston Metropolitan Area? I found data going back to 1986. The data goes up to 2013 as nothing is available afterwards. The data is from lighting strikes that happen in the 9 counties that defines the Houston Metropolitan area as defined by the Census.

Lightning Products and Services
http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/data-access/se ... d-services

Houston Metropolitan Area Monthly Lightning Strikes (1986-2013)


Month Mean Standard Deviation
1 71.87 435.84
2 77.28 455.02
3 141.26 729.62
4 316.78 1320.01
5 482.25 1606.93
6 628.3 1286.56
7 644.18 1315.96
8 653.82 1395.69
9 352 1033.06
10 154.89 579.19
11 142.13 701.46
12 87.57 582.53


Least Lightning Strike
January

Most Lightning Strike
August

Not surprisingly, January has the least lighting strike as it is cooler. August has the most lightning strike due to the heat of the summer from sea breeze thunderstorms, mesoscale convective vortex (MCV), warm core lows, etc.

Wonder what date has the most lighting strikes in the Houston area (1986-2013)?
05/30/05 19641
04/08/02 17442
08/09/03 15916
05/18/89 15131
09/27/96 14279
08/03/02 13589
07/07/05 13576
05/01/04 12743
04/02/00 12326
04/16/12 11650

Some these dates ring a bell like May 18, 1989 as heavy rain fell over the Houston area, which led to massive flooding or April 2, 2000, when severe weather struck Houston area in the early morning hours. The most recent was on April 16, 2012. The most occurred on May 30, 2005. Interestingly 2002 and 2005 have most lighting strikes in one day in Houston area.

[unome]

http://www.lightningmaps.org/realtime?lang=en

compliments of
http://www.blitzortung.org
https://www.facebook.com/Blitzortung
https://twitter.com/Blitzortung_Org

GOES-R will greatly enhance real-time lightning capabilities
http://www.goes-r.gov/spacesegment/glm- ... etect.html

[Ptarmigan]

http://www.lightningmaps.org/realtime?lang=en

compliments of
http://www.blitzortung.org
https://www.facebook.com/Blitzortung
https://twitter.com/Blitzortung_Org

GOES-R will greatly enhance real-time lightning capabilities
http://www.goes-r.gov/spacesegment/glm- ... etect.html

Thanks for the links.