Record the Lightning

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Think about being a pilot trying to find out if there might be lightning and thunderstorms in your flight path. Use the resources below to help you find out where storms and lightning may be happening.

FIRST
Select an airport near your home. Plan a flight path to another state or country. Now you need to see if there will be a chance of a bad storm and lightning along your flight path.

Go to the Severe weather page of Weather UnderGround. A map of the United States will be displayed with many types of severe weather shown. Locate the information key under the map which will help you find the severe thunderstorms. States with current advisories are listed.

If your flight plan includes travel to another country, you can find weather for other countries by typing in the country's name in the search box at the top of the page

Also check the National Weather Service and NOAA Storm Prediction Page to see where storm watches have been issued and thunderstorms may be brewing.

SECOND
Use a map of the United States, a world map, or a map of the country you are researching. Mark your flight path on the map. Color on your map where the severe thunderstorms are occuring and mark where a watch or warning has been issued. You can use a lightning bolt symbol to help mark the most severe storm areas.

THIRD
Now see the lightning strikes within the last 2 hours. Go to the Lightning Explorer pages. Lightning Explorer delivers static images of lightning activity occurring across the United States. This free service provides a view of two hours of lightning strikes with a 30 minute delay.

Which areas had the most lightning strikes? Use symbols to record the areas with the most lightning strikes. Be sure to record the date and time you looked at the map.

FOURTH
Now compare what you saw on the above map to the Lightning Incidence map at Weather.com.

Which areas of the United States are most likely to have lightning strikes according to this Lightning Incidence map?

Are the areas that you recorded as having had lightning strikes within the last two hours on the Lightning Explorer map also marked as an area most likely to experience lightning according to this map?