world_Jan_2017_06hr
General --January is the middle month of meteorological winter in the Northern Hemisphere, and of summer in the Southern Hemisphere. --By tracking the latest hours in white, the overhead sun can be seen moving east to west on a daily basis. --Thunderstorms travel west to east over the middle and higher latitudes in both hemispheres, and are stationary or move more slowly from east to west in the tropics. ~Ron Holle
Feb 2, 2017 Webmaster Archive
Northern Hemisphere --Nearly all January lightning over the United States is in well-organized lines and clusters. --Europe, the Indian subcontinent, Russia, China, and Red Sea have minimal lightning. --Frequent systems move west to east over the Mediterranean Sea. --Lightning is present nearly every day over and near Japan through the period of the loop, including its west coast. Many of these thunderstorms extend far offshore to the east. ~Ron Holle
Feb 3, 2017 7:18:51 PM Dave Fincher
Tropics --The east-west equatorial trough, the Intertropical Convergence Zone, is well defined over the Atlantic during much of the month, and early in the period of the loop over the eastern Pacific. --The major islands and land areas of tropical Southeast Asia have thunderstorms nearly every afternoon in sea breezes and along mountain slopes, but no persistent direction of motion. --Central America has minimal lightning through the month. ~Ron Holle
Feb 3, 2017 7:19:03 PM Dave Fincher
Southern Hemisphere --Lightning is very frequent over Australia, southern Africa, and Madagascar during the period of the loop. --Lightning over Africa is frequent to the south of the Equator but has minimal organization for more than a few hours during the period of the loop. --Long lines of thunderstorms occasionally extend eastward over the adjacent oceans from the southeast coasts of Africa, Australia, and South America. --The Andes provide a sharp western boundary in a NNW-SSE line and no lightning occurs over the cold water offshore of the Andes. ~Ron Holle
Feb 3, 2017 7:19:28 PM Dave Fincher
Specific --11 to 12 January: Well-defined east-west line of thunderstorms along equatorial trough in eastern Pacific. --13 to 18, 20 to 24, and 30 January: Japan’s lightning is concentrated along the west coast. --17 to 23 January: Cyclonic circulations are mostly stationary over the western Mediterranean Sea. --26 to 27 January: Large cyclonic circulation is apparent over northwest Australia. --27 to 28 January: Long squall line moves across Japan. --27 to 29 January: Long straight lines of lightning extend off the east coast of North America over the Atlantic. ~Ron Holle
Feb 3, 2017 7:19:42 PM Dave Fincher