Comparing 1-min, 2-min and 5-min running FED totals

For the GLM products such as Flash Extent Density (FED), we are looking at looking at running accumulations over different time periods of 1 minute, 2 minutes and 5 minutes (and maybe others?). The 5-min (1-min update) loops are smoother, but may miss or be slower to show sudden changes. The 1-min loops tend to be rather jumpy and may obscure trends. The 2-min (1-min update) loops might be a good compromise, but we are still comparing.

The 3-panel  below shows a 30-min loop comparing all three accumulation times for a storm over northwest MS. Comparing the frame-to-frame variability among the three options, the 5-min loop is certainly smoother, but has higher max values than the 2-min or 1-min loops, which may require a different color scale.

Also here is a plot from the Tracking Meteogram which compares the max values from all three accumulation types. Note the 5-min accumulation is in the middle. The 2-min running accumulation (bottom curve) might be the best combination of smoothness and sensitivity.  A.Cope