A geographical analysis of warm season lightning/landscape interactions across Colorado, USA

- We present a detailed cloud-to-ground lightning climatology of Colorado.
- In mountains, lightning density varies considerably, but lightning days do not.
- The time of lightning initiation and maxima vary by elevation.
- Eastern Colorado experiences more lightning activity in spring; southwest Colorado sees more activity in July and August.
- Lightning activity in Colorado peaks in late July.

This article analyzes lightning/landscape interactions across the State of Colorado. Ten years (2003-2012) of warm season cloud-to-ground (CG) lightning activity are mapped at 500 × 500 m2 to characterize the distribution of thunderstorm activity. Geospatial analyses quantify lightning activity by elevation, physiographic region, and mountain range, and time-series animations outline the general movement of thunderstorms. From these spatio-temporal perspectives, our objective is to elucidate lightning/landscape interactions as they occur over a topographically and climatologically diverse landscape. The information aids meteorologists by exposing orographic and rainshadow effects, mesoscale meteorological effects, fluxes of moisture sources, thunderstorm initiation zones, and thunderstorm movements. Other benefits extend to wildland fire managers, those who maintain lightning-vulnerable infrastructures, and, from a human risk perspective, an overall awareness to those who work and play outdoors. Major findings include (1) elevation alone does not determine the degree of lightning activity, (2) across the state's mountain ranges, lightning density varies considerably, but the number of lightning days does not, and (3) the time of lightning initiation and maxima varies by elevation, with higher mountain elevations experiencing most activity 1 h before lower mountain elevations, and 3 h before lower Great Plains locations.