Richard Orville, who has studied lightning for over 30 years and is considered one of the world's lightning experts, has developed a first of its kind lightning detection system for Houston, Texas.
Orville led key studies in the physics of lightning that led to the creation of the National Lightning Detection Network in 48 states and Canada over 20 years ago.
The $700,000 Lightning Detection and Ranging (LDAR) system has a dozen sensors placed in strategic locations around Houston. The sensors record the time and position of every lightning flash that occurs. The time is accurate to a billionth of a second. The data is reported to a central server at the Texas A&M campus.
The LDAR system is designed to give a 5 to 20 minute warning of where cloud to ground lightning may strike nest.
Lightning is historically the second most lethal weather event. The LDAR system is designed to prevent lightning fatalities.
Houston is particularly vulnerable to lightning because it is both hot and moist most of the year.
The system can be viewed live if any lightning is happening at
http://www.met.tamu.edu/ciams/ldar/index.html.
http://tamunews.tamu.edu.
http://media-newswire.com/release_1102261.html
Contact: Richard Orville at ( 979 ) 845-9244 or richardorville@yahoo.com or Keith Randall at ( 979 ) 845-4644 or keith-randall@tamu.edu
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