Contribution to Lightning Parameters Study Based on Some American Tropical Regions Observations

This paper presents a recent characterization review of three cloud-to-ground lightning parameters [lightning peak current, ground flash density, and keraunic level (KL)] used in engineering applications based on available data from studies conducted in some tropical countries of Central and South America (Brazil, Colombia, Costa Rica, and Venezuela), considering seasonal and spatial variation aspects. There are some differences between the behaviors of the analyzed parameters in tropical areas in comparison with those published in the literature for temperate ones. The most significant conclusion is that historical data suggest that the highest ground flash density are located between latitude of 8° and 10° north. This value is much higher than the highest values reported for countries located in temperate regions. It is seen from the KL analysis that this parameter varies depending on the latitude with values up to 200 thunderstorm days (TDs).