Vikhammer lightning detection radar

Lightning stroke on the Tautra island

Provided by Vikhammer Weatherstation

Operated by radioamateur station LA9QFA
A home grown hobby project

Although my strive to get accurate data, this lightning data is only approximate!

Strike locations indicated and alarm statuses are as accurate as possible, but may be erroneouse. The radar should have good receptions up to 600km or more.

Please notice: The Long Distant Reception depending of the radio wave conditions at the present time lightning occoures. When bad radio wave condition occures there is no reception over longer ranges!

Symbols and buttons:

Please push the Full or Zoom button for selectable range views.
Full (600km) or zoom (300km) range. Standard view when opening this webpage is zoom (300km).

Push the selectable history buttons, 30 or 60 minutes to go back in time.
Push Stop or Run button to play history.

Please Notice!
Strikes Total: The lightning records is for the latest 60 minutes

Accumulated today:
Strikes: Lightning records since midnight.
Noises: all electrical interference since midtnight, it's filtered out and will not detect as lightning strikes!

+CG Positive cloud to ground strike

x CG Negative cloud to ground strike

6IC Positive cloud or intracloud strike (sky til sky)

5IC Negative cloud or intracloud strike (sky til sky)

Website best viewed in 1280 x 800 pixels or more

Precipitation radar for Trøndelag click here Û

Back to Vikhammer Weather clik here

radar.gif (5915 bytes) Tracking of lightning activity and what direction it's takes.
Check out to see if there is time to take some caution. about personnel,
data equipment, tv's and other electric and electronic gear.

Today there is one commercial supplier of lightnig activity monitoring in Norway, SINTEF.
This system detects lichtning activity with the use of 14 sensors around. With the use of a cross bearing system, data is collected and sent to a server in Oslo. Those who may need an accurate lightning detection systems can subscribe to it for a high priced ticket,

In the last few years several private lightning detection systems have pop up and the technology is getting better in accuracy. This systems is under constant development. One of them is the STRIKESTAR network that collect lightning data from private systems around. It is more accurate in the way that lighning strikes will not be displayed on the map before minimum 2 recivers deteckt the same lightning strikes simultaneous. In that way this system is close up in accuracy of the Sintef system, but it's free of charge . Vikhammer Lightning Detection Radar is a part of the Strikestar network.

Screen shoot of main program - This window need to be reloaded! (Update every 5 minute)
Please use the RELOAD facility on your browser to retrive the latest data of this screen shoot

Range of this map can change due to experimenting

All history restarts at midnight!

+ CGPositive cloud to ground strike
x CG Negative cloud to ground strike
6 IC Positive cloud or intracloud strike (sky til sky)
5 IC Negative cloud or intracloud strike (sky til sky)

Norwegian Lightning info:
Met.no
Wikipedia

English Lightning info:
NOAA
Lightning detectors principle of operation
Lightning FAQ

Notice!
The system detects lightning strikes that can be outside this map view.
If stirkes is detected and you don't see any plot, go to the StormVue map above that have greather coverage.

Symbols and buttons :

Bearing: Lightning strike azimuth on the map.

Strike/min: Lightning strike density each minute.

Close/min: Lightning strike activity innside the red ring on the map. Depending of where the thunderstorm or lightnig activity take direction, it's time to take some caution about personnel, data or other equipment.

Noise/min: Noise from different sources that is not a lightning strike, it's been filtered out and will not count as a strike.

Scuelch: Noise filter level on the radar receiver.

Persistence: Time that symbols is displayed on the map, now 5 hours.

Range: Covering area on the map for the moment.

Upload: Data stream to the StormVue map above is active.

Capture: Capturing this map picture every 5 minute.

Reciever: enabled, or disabled for service reasons.

Uptime: Hours and minutes the system have been active.

Peak Rate: Indicate the highest strike rate that has occoured.

Peak Time: Indicates at which time the peak strike rate occured.

Trend Graph: Trend graph shows activity over the last 8 hours and has two graphs, one for total strikes and one for close strikes inside the red ring on the map.

Severe Indicator Line: Reflects the Severe Alarm Settings, on this radar set to 20 strikes/min.