Summer 2018 Lightning Flashes

The Geostationary Lightning Mapper (GLM) observed about 150 million lightning flashes this summer between 8 May and 7 September, 2018.

There is an odd straight line to the east of Florida and one across South America. These are caused by a known processing issue of the GLM instrument and will be fixed soon.

Below shows the no-flash/flash mask. In other words, the pixel is green if there was any lightning flashes ever observed during the period. In this figure, you get a sense of the area the instrument is able to observe in.

Mammatus Clouds in Ephraim

Photo Credit: My brother

Coal Hollow Fire PM 2.5 concentration

Coal Hollow Fire

The Coal Hollow fire, 10 minutes up Spanish Fork Canyon, was started by lightning on August 4th and has burned over 6,000 acres.

The plume of smoke and a pyrocumulus cloud has been visible for the last few days.

The smoke and fire temperature shows well in GOES-16 observations:

The air quality in Spanish Fork this morning (August 9, 2018) is extremely bad. I ride the train with
my dad and he had a hint smelled of smoke on his clothes.

The Red Narrows weather station up Spanish Fork Canyon shows the shift in wind down the canyon last night.

And here are the winds at UKBKB (EW2355)

Hot Summer

Temperatures in Spanish Fork Since May 1, 2018