Observation of Current and Leader Development Characteristics of Winter Lightning

Current and leader development characteristics of winter lightning occurring in the coastal area of the Sea of Japan are reviewed. The characteristics of winter lightning are different from those of usual lightning that occurs mainly in summer. The occurrence of upward flashes, the percentage of current polarities, and the median values of current peaks in winter lightning are summarized. Typical current waveforms and the corresponding leader developments of winter lightning observed at the chimney of the Fukui thermal plant are shown. We examined the parameters (peak, duration, charge transfer, action integral) of the current waveforms of winter lightning.