A GLOBAL analysis of lightning during hurricanes has bolstered observations that the worst winds come a day after the bolts strike.
Forecasters struggle to predict peak hurricane winds. So Colin Price of in Israel and colleagues studied all category 4 and 5 hurricanes between 2005 and 2007. Out of 58 hurricanes, 56 showed a significant correlation between lightning activity and wind speed, with peak winds arriving 30 hours after the lightning on average. Price believes the lightning may be caused by a change in wind patterns (Nature Geoscience, ).
Previous sightings have hinted at a link, but Price鈥檚 work puts this 鈥渙n a firm statistical foundation鈥�, says Robert Holzworth of the University of Washington, Seattle. However, Steven Businger of the University of Hawaii argues that Price鈥檚 was not detailed enough.
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