World_24hr_Apr_2019
General --April is the first month of meteorological spring in the Northern Hemisphere, and of autumn in the Southern Hemisphere. --By tracking the latest hours in white, the overhead sun can be seen moving E to W on a daily basis. --Thunderstorms travel W to E over the middle and higher latitudes in both hemispheres, and more slowly from varying directions in the tropics. Northern Hemisphere --Alaska, Canada, and Russia have almost no lightning. --The Mediterranean Sea has occasional thunderstorm systems moving W to E through the month. --Over the Indian subcontinent, lightning is most frequent in mid-month and moves quickly from NW to SE. --Lightning activity over the U.S. is in large organized systems that often develop and are most intense in the Southern Plains, then grow and move to the E or NE. --Southern China has a series of active thunderstorm complexes starting in mid-month. ~Ron Holle
May 6, 2019 Webmaster Archive
Tropics --The equatorial trough over the Atlantic is well defined and continuous between Ivory Coast and northeast Brazil and adjacent offshore areas, moderate to weak over the Eastern North Pacific, and is diffuse over Western Pacific and Indian Oceans. --The Gulf of Guinea has nearly continuous lightning that arrives from the east or east-northeast from the continent. --The major islands and land areas of tropical Southeast Asia have daily thunderstorms in sea breezes and along mountain slopes; they move from varying directions through the month. --Over Brazil, thunderstorms form daily, then move from the E or NE. Individual storms do not travel far or survive into the next day. --Lightning over the Philippines, Thailand, Myanmar, Vietnam, and Cambodia is moderately active during April. --Thunderstorm activity is present every day over Madagascar, while the Sahara is usually devoid of lightning. ~Ron Holle
May 8, 2019 7:36:58 PM Dave Fincher
Southern Hemisphere --The Andes define a sharp western boundary in a NNW-SSE line and no lightning occurs over the cold water offshore of the Andes. --Over Australia, lightning is scarce and mostly in long lines Specific --01 to 16 April: First of several major north-south squall lines travel E to W from Sudan across Cameroon to Gulf of Guinea. --05 to 10 April: Strong thunderstorms move rapidly from NW to SE across Bangladesh. --09 to 13 April: Especially widespread thunderstorms over Arabian Peninsula. --22 to 27 April: Tropical Cyclone Kenneth moves E to W across northern tip of Madagascar and into Mozambique; major damage on 26th in Mozambique. --28 April: Long east-west line of lighting across southwestern Russia. --28 to 30 April: Large Tropical Cyclone Fani moves S to N in Bay of Bengal. ~Ron Holle
May 8, 2019 7:37:12 PM Dave Fincher