StormTracker
Lightning Detection and Thunderstorm Tracking Center
Track storms using interactive StormVue!
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WASP-2 - Wide Area Storm Probe
Networked Regional Lightning Data with Nexrad Overlay
Image is updated every five minutes
StormVue
StormVue is an interactive Java applet, integrated as a part of the NexStorm software. Unique to Nexstorm, website visitors have the ability to view local lightning data in real time. The applet updates every 30 seconds and allows the viewing of either 30 or 60 minutes of strikes at either 180 or 375 mile radius. See StormVue in action!
WASP-2
WASP, Wide Area Spectrum Probe, is an analyzer for monitoring lightning activity captured by the StrikeStar Lightning locator network. The Barrow County Weather lightning dectector is part of this network. The point sources providing this data to StrikeStar are StormTracker and LD-250 lightning detectors.
How do we get this data? Lightning strike data which is detected by sensors in the StrikeStar network is sent over the Internet to a central processing server which triangulates this data in order to determine the approximate geographical position of the lightning discharge. The StrikeStar output is relayed to a companion server application named LDStream which in turn feeds this data over a TCP/IP based network and serves as a network access point for external client applications.
WASP2 also shows a NEXRAD Regional Radar overlay.
TRAC
Thunderstorm Ranging and Acquisition, or TRAC for short, is a sub-process in NexStorm that contains all the logic behind computing where thunderstorms are located and analyzing their characteristics. TRAC also produces a text-based report based on its findings detailing individual storms. The TRAC related on map identification feature uses TRAC data to display important information about a thunderstorm. When TRAC has detected a structured thunderstorm system, it will start tracking it until the storm dissipates or the tracking could not be maintained for other reasons.
Nexstorm will periodically generate a report based on current activity. This is called the TRAC report. While a thunderstorm is being tracked it is also being continuously analyzed. A short version of the report is displayed in the frame at the top of this page. A full report of the real-time analysis can be found in the TRAC Report.
StrikeStar
StrikeStar is Astrogenic's new client/server system designed to allow multiple inter-connected NexStorm/Boltek lightning detectors to form a real-time lightning locator network. These detectors send their data to a central server where StrikeStar software triangulates the data and presents the results in near real-time. Visit StrikeStarHardware & Software Systems
The Barrow County Weather lightning detection center is powered by the Boltek StormTracker lightning detection system. The Boltek StormTracker works by detecting the radio signals produced by lightning. These are the same signals you can hear as static on an AM radio during a thunderstorm.
StormTracker's antenna consists of a crossed loop magnetic field sensor and electric field sensor and is mounted approximately 20 feet above ground and can sense storms up to 350 miles away. The antenna is connected to a PC via a Cat5 data cable connected to the Boltek's PCI card where the signals are digitized for processing by software. StormTracker can detect up to 3,000 to 3,500 strokes per second. According to Astrogenic Systems, the highest reported stroke rate to date was slightly over 2,100 per minute - recorded in Australia in 2005.
There are numerous signatures in a waveform that can tell what type of stroke it was. To determine polarity (positive or negative) the software looks at the electric field at various points in the waveform. To determine the type (cloud to ground or cloud to cloud), the software looks at total waveform length, rise times to peak, peak to zero crossing times, etc. Direction is determined by looking at the magnetic field ratios for each stroke and using basic trigonometry, i.e. crossed loop antenna direction finding principle.
Initial distance is determined by averaging each stroke against a cluster of other strokes that are located in the same direction, and from that derive a distance to the entire storm cell.
Lightning Fast Facts
• If you can see it or hear it, lightning can hit you. Find shelter now.
• Lightning is the No. 2 weather killer in the US (behind floods).
• Every 5 seconds between flash and boom is a mile's distance from you.
• Under ideal conditions, lightning's thunder can be heard 12 miles away.
• Lightning is really no wider than a few inches.
• All thunderstorms produce lightning.
NWS Lightning Forecast
