Cyclone Occurrence and Lightning Distribution Over Mediterranean

The first goal of this study is to quantify the contribution of intense cyclones to lightning occurrence in the Mediterranean region. Second, we investigate the microphysical characteristics of intense cyclones and the lag time between the occurrence of lightning and the cyclone’s maximum intensity. Our study was based on the use of cloud-to-ground lightning observations derived by ZEUS, atmospheric reanalyses and cyclones tracks derived from a tracking algorithm. The analysis identified 211 cyclones related to lightning and 373 that were not associated with lightning. It was found that the peak of lightning activity precedes cyclone’s mature stage with an average lag time of 6 h. During autumn and winter, intense cyclones’ contribution to lightning occurrence is of the order 10–20 % over the Mediterranean Sea. Further analysis shows that the cyclones associated with lightning tend to have 35 % more cloud ice concentration compared to the cyclones which are not associated with lightning.