Journalist Training Program Resources

Lightning - Does It Go Down or Up?, W. Lyons, Weatherwise 2016

Global Lightning Fatalities, R.L. Holle, Weather Climate and Society, 2016

Empowering Africa: Advancing Lightning Safety and Research Initiatives, D. Zhang, M.A. Cooper, R.L. Holle, Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society

Lightning strikes kill thousands globally each year, but for those who survive, the storm is far from over, The Conversation - about D.L. Zhang's work

Disability, Not Death, is the Problem, M.A. Cooper, 2001, National Weather Digest
For more extensive details on the medical effects, see chapter 3 in book below.

Keraunoparalysis and burning thatch: A proposed explanation for severe lightning injuries reported in developing countries, D.E. Villamil, N. Navarrete, M.A. Cooper, Electric Power Systems Research, 2020

So You Think You Know Lightning, R.L. Holle, D. Zhang, Vaisala

Chapter 17 from Book below --

Reducing Lightning Casualties Worldwide, M.A. Cooper, R.L. Holle, Saunders, 2017Book - We do not expect you to read the entire book, but we make it available (FREE) for you to take your pick of chapters that interest you

Severe Weather 101, A readable explanation of lightning detection methods by the US NOAA National Severe Storms Lab

The GOES-R series of geostationary weather satellites provides lightning detection capabilities over the portions of North, Central, and South America between 54°N and 54°S latitude with its Geostationary Lightning Mappers (GLMs).
The Meteosat Third Generation geostationary satellite is equipped with a Lightning Imager (LI) that provides lightning detection capabilities over Europe, Africa, and the Middle East.
The GLMs and LI detect much of the lightning detected by LDNs, though they have a lower spatial accuracy, are unable to differentiate between IC (IntraCloud) and CG (Cloud-to-Ground) lightning, and detect less lightning during the day.

Move the map around, find your country, hit the + in the upper right to enlarge and see current storms. There is a little lag as it loads, so be patient.

Prolific Lightning and Thunderstorm Initiation over the Lake Victoria Basin in East Africa, K.S. Virts, S.J. Goodman, Monthly Weather Review, AMS, 2020

Thunder Hours - How Old Methods Offer New Insights into Thunderstorm Climatology, E.A. DiGangi, M. Stock, J. Lapierre, Bulletin of the American Meteorololgical Society, 2022 ----- Explanation: Before lightning detection technologies were developed, thunderstorms and lightning occurrence were measured in the number of hours thunder was heard in designated observation areas.

Highlights of a New Ground-Based, Hourly Global Lightning Climatology, K.S. Virts, J. M. Wallace et al, AMS, 2013

US site with detailed information on safety, injury prevention, and detals for each death from lightning that has been reported in the US since 2001

This site is packed with videos and animations about how lightning forms, mechanisms of injury, curricula for all ages, media resources, teacher resources, downloadable posters, and LOTS more. We can modify nearly ALL of these to the African scene because John Jensenius, one of our speakers, and our NLSC team developed the original materials.

1. To change colors: click 'up' arrow in the box on the bottom right -- when box expands, choose 'Color Scale Rainbow' in first box
2. To rotate and move the globe: put cursor on the globe and move around with left button depressed
3. To enlarge map: go to upper right and click +. Try to find your home district.
4. Have fun!