Automatic Tracking of Convective Cells and Cell Complexes from Lightning and Radar Data

Summary

 A new automatic tracking method for convective cells and cell complexes is introduced. The method uses a simple Gaussfilter and a selection procedure to define displacement vectors of the specific system. The change of the half width of the filter results in a separation of the system’s scale. The proposed method is applied on two data sources: lightning density and RADAR reflectivity. They describe different properties of convective cells and cell complexes. A strong connection of the storm tracks to topography becomes also evident.