Gridded lightning climatology from TRMM-LIS and OTD: Dataset description

The mean global flash rate from the merged climatology is 46 flashes s− 1. This varies from around 35 flashes s− 1 in February (austral summer) to 60 flashes s− 1 in August (boreal summer). The peak annual flash rate at 0.5° scale is 160 fl km− 2 yr− 1 in eastern Congo. The peak monthly average flash rate at 2.5° scale is 18 fl km− 2 mo− 1 from early April to early May in the Brahmaputra Valley of far eastern India. Lightning decreases in this region during the monsoon season, but increases further north and west. An August peak in northern Pakistan also exceeds any monthly averages from Africa, despite central Africa having the greatest yearly average.