Portuguese lightning detection network, applications and developed products

The Portuguese Meteorological Institute (IPMA) has been exploiting a Lightning Detection Network (LDN) since June 2002, with 4 sensors in mainland Portugal operating in integration with 5 more Spanish sensors since January 2003, in cooperation with the Agencia Estatal de Meteorologia (AEMET, Spain). A study based on 13 years of lightning data is presented using Cloud-to-Ground (CG) flash density maps on a 0.2°×0.2° resolution grid, as well as intra and inter-annual distributions. Thunderstorm events in mainland Portugal result primarily from frontal systems approaching in the winter/spring season and convective instability in the summer/autumn season, especially due to diurnal surface heating particularly observed during the months of May to September. Two case studies representative of summer convection and a frontal system type are presented. A forecast method based on a logistic regression model using 4 stability indexes, as predictors, is computed for a specific thunderstorm event.