Dataset Title:
Lightning Strike Data for New Mexico, 1987
Dataset ID
31987
Abstract
This file contains 1987 daily lightning activity data for the state of New Mexico. These data were collected by a network of lightning detection stations scattered throughout the western United States. More information regarding the LLP Lightning Locating System can be found in Maier et al. (1983).
Methods
Only data on cloud-to-ground lightning flashes are recorded in this file. Note that each cloud-to-ground lightning flash is composed of one or more highly energetic discharges known as return strokes. Thus each lightning observation found in this file contains a column showing the number of return strokes associated with each flash. In addition, each observation includes information on the time of the flash, location (latitude/longitude), polarity, and signal amplitude. The lightning flash location is determined by triangulation. The accuracy of the flash location is dependent on the number of stations detecting the flash, the flash location with respect to the detecting stations (i.e. poor accuracy if on the baseline between two stations), and the distance between the detecting stations. When the detecting stations are 50 miles apart, estimated strike locations are usually within 1/2 to 1 kilometer of the actual location.
These data are bound by the following coordinates:
Latitude: 31.335 to 36.999 degrees
Longitude: -109.048 to -103.006 degrees
Additional Information
It is unknown if the file is incomplete for the periods 1 Jan 1987 - 26 Apr 1987, and 26 Dec 1987 - 31 Dec 1987, since no data was found in the BLM tape archive files for these periods.
