IS THERE A MINIMUM ACCEPTABLE RANGE FOR HOW CLOSE A LIGHTNING STRIKE HAS OCCURRED BEFORE SHUTTING DOWN OPERATIONS?
This is not an issue when using a THOR GUARD system because we are predicting strike probabilities for your immediate area of concern and updating the data 50 times a second. For lightning detection systems, however, the choice of the correct range is critical. The most recent data from a 1998 study by Messrs. Holle & Lopez (Severe Storm Center) would indicate that the minimum acceptable range from the last strike should be no less than 6-8 miles. This obviously would indicate that waiting for lightning to reach the previous standard of a 0-5 mile range, is dangerous. The new data also challenges the popular “Flash to Bang” theory because lightning can rarely be seen and/or thunder heard, as far away as 6-8 miles.
