Communications News Department of Atmospheric Sciences News Orville's Lightning System May Save Many Houston Lives
Orville's Lightning System May Save Many Houston Livesby Keith Randall 10/08/09 - A one-of-a kind lightning detection system is being designed by a Texas A&M University atmospheric sciences professor for life-saving deployment in the lightning capital of Texas: Working with a three-year National Science Foundation grant totaling almost $700,000, Richard Orville will track lightning in the greater Houston area, where it occurs and where it is likely to occur again. Houston, with 5 million residents in the metropolitan area, has what New York, Chicago and Los Angeles don't, and perhaps for good reason: With thousands of strikes each year, Houston is the lightning center of Texas and one of the most frequently prone areas in the world for lightning hits. "Two things are required for lightning - moisture and heat, and Houston certainly has plenty of both," Orville says. "And there is little doubt that Houston is the focal point of lightning in Texas. This upgraded system can detect lightning within about a 100-mile radius of Houston and relay important information that can save lives." The LDAR uses 12 sensors placed in strategic areas around Houston. When a lightning flash occurs, every site notes the precise time (within one billionth of a second) and reports vital data to a central server on the Texas A&M campus in College Station. Based on the arrival time of the lightning signal at each site, it is possible to determine the exact latitude and longitude from where the lightning originated, Orville explains. "The LDAR can give us an advance warning time of from 5 to 20 minutes ahead of time where cloud-to-ground lightning may hit next," he points out. "Considering all of the golf courses, parks, stadiums, lakes and other outdoor sites where people tend to gather, it has the potential to save the lives of people who could be at risk." With about 1,800 thunderstorms pounding the Earth at any given moment, it means lightning is striking somewhere at least 50 times every second, he notes. Orville says Houston averages about 20 strikes per square mile and about 1,700 strikes just between June and August every year. According to the National Weather Service, about 60 people are killed each year by lightning in the United States. So far in 2009, 31 have died. Lightning is the second greatest weather killer. Flood fatalities are No.1. More than 20 years ago, Orville led key studies in the physics of lightning and helped to establish the National Lightning Detection Network. It is located in 48 states and Canada and detects every ground strike of lightning. He has devoted much of his academic career to studying severe storms and the lightning associated with them. "The LDAR is the best system of its type in the country," he confirms. The system can be viewed at |
