Lightning location and storm severity display system

A unique lightning location and lightning storm severity assessment display system designed and developed at the Detroit Edison Company is described. The design is driven by the need to provide a real time lightning storm severity information display for electric utility operations that includes storm warning, storm tracking, storm dispatching, and storm restoration resource planning. Its application results in an estimated annual savings of $250000. The methodology for correlation equations and their accuracy developed over three years (1985-7) of lightning storm activity are reported relating cloud-to-ground strikes from a magnetic direction finding network to important storm management factors for six independent geographic areas (operating divisions) within southeastern Michigan