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eyen After a spell of warm weather in the UK we associate lightning with convective storms, so we expect to see most of the activity in the height of summer. A study from the University of Portsmouth confirms this broad picture but also shows distinct regional variations.
The team combined data collected over 12 years by the Met Office’s ATDnet, France’s Météorage and Germany’s LINET. This detects radio waves emitted by lightning from hundreds of kilometers away and triangulates its location.
Seasonal electricity distribution varies across regions. The study found that inland parts of south-east England experience more lightning from April to August, while coastal areas of southern England experience the highest density from May to July. The study also found that in Scotland, in addition to the summer storm season, the north-west coast has an additional peak in activity in winter.
The most common time of day for thunderstorms also varies by region, with the inland south of England peaking in the afternoon while the south coast sees most lightning overnight or early morning. Inland areas also have more electricity overall, typically about three times more electricity for each square kilometre.
Researchers hope the work will help understand the timing of flash floods associated with hurricanes.
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