You are on page 1of 2

ATMOSPHERE- LIGHTNING

The descriptive paragraphs should explain the hazard pattern (Where is the hazard occurring and not occurring),
process (Why does the hazard occur some places but not others), and proposed solutions (How dangerous is
this hazard? How could this hazard be managed?). Outside research should be conducted and cited.

LOCAL SCALE

KEY: Annual lightning


flash rate

Within the North America region the state of Florida is known as the lightning capital of the United States. Storms
occur in this region approximately 100 days out of the year (Morgan). Lightning causes Florida to be a high risk state than
any other state in the region; there is an increase in fatality rate, injuries, and damage caused by lightning. The region
most prone to the hazard of lightning in Florida ranges from the east to west coast of Fort Myers to Lake Okeechobee
which places the city of Tampa, Florida in the center of the area most affected by lightning (Morgan). Lightning in Florida is
prominent due to the mixture of heat and water in the region. The warm winds coming east from the Atlantic Ocean and
west from the Gulf of Mexico mix with the warm water surrounding Florida. This mixture of high heat levels and high
humidity cause water vapor to form in the air and become water droplets which leads to rain (Morgan). Forecasters have
the impossible task of predicting when and where lighting can strike. This is the primary reason lighting causes more
fatality rate and greater damage.

REGIONAL SCALE

This map shows the country of the United States of America and the amount of annual lightning flashes. The darker
the color, the more lightning the area experienced and judging from our map, the land outlining Floridas coast seems to
get hit with the most lightning. This is likely due to the two different sea breezes that Florida experiences, one from the
east coast and one from the west coast. This causes a push from the two colliding breezes, sending air upward and
ultimately causing thunder clouds. The electricity that builds up within the thundercloud is released by lightning bolts.
NASA defined lighting as the sudden discharge of electricity between charged regions of thunderclouds and the ground
(Christian and Mccook). For this reason, it makes sense that most of the reds and purples are located along the coast of
Florida.

GLOBAL SCALE

Works Cited
Christian, Hugh J., Dr., and Melanie A. Mccook. "Lightning and Atmospheric Electricity Research at
GHCC." Lightning and Atmospheric Electricity Research at GHCC. NASA, n.d. Web. 20 Sept. 2015.
Morgan, Curtis. "Flash Dance." Miami Herald (Miami, FL). 23 Jun. 1993: 1E+. SIRS Issues Researcher. Web. 20
Sep. 2015.
Global distribution of lightning April 1995-February 2003 from the combined observations of the NASA OTD (4/95-3/00)
and LIS (1/98-2/03) instruments.
From NASA's Lightning and Atmospheric Electricity Research at the Global Hydrology and Climate Center (GHCC).
Image overlay done byGoogle Earth Blog

You might also like