Thunderstorm Tracking Using Data from the Brazilian Lightning Detection Network

Severe weather has been noticed as an increasing environmental hazard in the last years. In the same way, pronounced improvements have been made in the forecast and tracking of extreme weather by integrating the meteorological information with lightning data. Thunderstorm tracking software/algorithms using integrated meteorological information and lightning data are nowadays a useful tool to the government and civil defense agencies, with several examples of those systems around the world. Thunderstorm tracking systems that use only lightning data are also available for different regions and give reliable results in general. On the other hand, storm tracking based on lightning data depends on the system characteristics (system performance, number of sensors, detection technology etc.). In the Brazilian case, with a hybrid network with different technologies, a careful analysis is necessary to determine the tracking boundary conditions (distinction of thunderstorm cell, cell life cycle, flash rate, prevailing displacement direction etc). Thus, our goal is to evaluate, based on the already available tracking algorithms, these boundary conditions to find the best approach for a Brazilian lightning-based thunderstorm tracking algorithm/system. This tracking system might help (mainly) on the severe weather forecast/warning, reducing the human/economic damages related to it.