Contact
Steve Roy
Media Relations Department
(256) 544-0034
steve.roy@msfc.nasa.gov

Satellite Interview: 01-175

Attention: Early Morning Producer
Thursday, May 24
6-10 a.m. EDT
10-minute windows--with B-roll

Experts have new tool to study weather's deadliest force; lightning system may improve severe weather predictions, save lives

• First permanent wide-area network for total mapping of lightning strikes is about to be activated in northern Alabama — an area with a history of severe storms and killer tornadoes. 
• Lightning mapping network will provide continuous data about all forms of lightning, including cloud-to ground and cloud-to-cloud strikes.
• Research shows direct link between sudden increase of cloud-to-cloud lightning and tornado formation.
• Network of 12 VHF antennas over a 75-mile area will monitor total lightning, provide real-time data instead of delayed information.   
• Findings may help weather forecasters predict developing tornadoes more accurately with fewer “false alarms.”
• Talk to an expert about this latest development in monitoring and predicting severe weather
  

Who:	Dr. Dennis Boccippio, lightning expert Global Hydrology and Climate Center Marshall Space Flight Center
Satellite Windows:	10 minutes
Satellite Coordinates:	GE-2, Transponder 9C, 85 degrees west longitude, Frequency: 3880 MHz, audio: 6.8 MHz.
Satellite Interview Information: Camille Sevier, (256) 544-2188	Story Information: Steve Roy, Media Relations (256) 544-0034

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http://www.msfc.nasa.gov/news