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Understanding dynamics of tropical cyclones in the Bay of Bengal using lightning data

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Abstract

In the present work, we are studying the dynamics of 11 tropical cyclones (TCs) over the Bay of Bengal (BoB) using the World Wide Lightning Location Network (WWLLN) lightning data during 2013–2017. Detailed investigation of Lightning Stroke Count (LSC) shows that the initial phase of the TC intensification over BoB is associated with high lightning activity both in the eye region and rainband region. The study of different category TCs shows the weak and moderate-intensity TCs during both in pre-monsoon and post-monsoon seasons are lightning populated (specifically inner bands) during and prior to the intensification phase. Peak Maximum Sustained Wind Speed (MSWS), which is linked to sea surface temperatures (SSTs), is preceded by the peak LSC with a time lag of 6–12 h. The LSC peaks in the eye region and rain band for different categories of TCs between small to moderate wind shear range. The present study highlights that the monitoring of real-time lightning activity could provide supportive information on the existing forecast techniques. But further analyses are required over BoB to quantify the relationship between TC intensification and lightning activity both in space and time.

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Acknowledgements

The authors are thankful to the World Wide Lightning Location Network (WWLLN) for the generous provision of the lightning latitude, longitude data for the analyses. We thank Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) for their extensive information on tropical TCs track and maximum sustained surface wind speed at a different time of TCs. Acknowledgments are also due for the Naval Research Laboratory, USA, for providing the satellite microwave imagery for detecting the high convective zones in the tropical TCs. We are also thankful to the Asia Pacific Data Research Centre for providing the sea surface temperature data during the tropical TCs. The Department of Science & Technology-Fund partially supports the analysis of the data for the Improvement of Science & Technology in Universities & Higher Educational Institute (DST-FIST) [fund reference Ref.SR/FST/PSI-191/2014]. We thank Modern-Era Retrospective analysis for Research and Applications (MERRA), Version 2, Global Modeling and Assimilation Office, NASA, for providing wind data. VT thanks Anna Rutgersson, Professor, LUVAL, Department of Earth Sciences, Uppsala University and Swedish Research Council (VR) for supporting the research at the Department of Earth Sciences, Uppsala University, Sweden. We thank the anonymous reviewers whose comments and suggestions helped us to improve the manuscript significantly.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Physics, Tripura University, Tripura, 799022, India

    Trisanu Banik, Barin Kumar De & Anirban Guha

  2. North Eastern Space Applications Centre, Umiam, Meghalaya, 793103, India

    Trisanu Banik, Shyam Sundar Kundu, Rekha Bharali Gogoi & P. L. N. Raju

  3. India Meteorological Department, Mausam Bhawan, New Delhi, India

    Trisanu Banik

  4. Department of Earth Sciences, Uppsala University, 75236, Uppsala, Sweden

    Venugopal Thandlam

  5. Department of Meteorology and Oceanography, Andhra University, Visakhapatnam, 530003, India

    Venugopal Thandlam

  6. Center for Lightning and Thunderstorm Studies, Department of Physics, Tripura University, Tripura, 799022, India

    Anirban Guha

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  1. Trisanu Banik
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Banik, T., Thandlam, V., De, B.K. et al. Understanding dynamics of tropical cyclones in the Bay of Bengal using lightning data. Meteorol Atmos Phys 133, 1505–1522 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00703-021-00824-y

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