GLM Average Flash Area - Updraft vs. Non-updraft/Anvil

[22:00 UTC] After an idea was shared with me from a colleague of mine of increasing the transparency of GLM data, I decided to explore its usability overlaid on visible satellite.

More specifically, I took a look at average flash area to see if there was any notable difference between the perceived updraft and anvil areas of mature convection moving through the Duluth CWA.

While data still remains a bit jumpy, I did notice that it seems that the average flash area near the overshooting tops (used here as a proxy for approximate updraft location) seems to be lower/smaller than in surrounding anvil areas or in areas where updrafts do not appear quite as strong (or have become weaker). The average flash area appears to increase as the convection becomes "older" (i.e. new/strengthening updrafts not apparently seen on visible imagery). Fig. 1 shows an animation through time while Fig. 2 shows a still frame at 21:40 UTC.

Fig. 1: animation of 5-min/1-min GLM Average Flash Area overlaid on GOES-East Ch. 2

Fig. 2: still of 5-min/1-min GLM Average Flash Area overlaid on GOES-East Ch. 2 at 21:40 UTC

Rosie Red