Frequency and seasonal variation of single lightning flash storm, ″Ippatsurai″, in Japan

Abstract

It is well known that single lightning flash storm (SLFS, Ippatsurai in Japanese) is sometimes observed Hokuriku area in winter Japan. However, the frequency and seasonal variation of SLFS are not evaluated quantitatively over the whole of Japan. We investigate the variability of SLFS by using human observations at weather station and electromagnetic observations over Japan from December 2009 to November 2011 for 3 years by Japan Meteorological Agency. As a result, it is confirmed that the higher occurrences of SLFS are concentrated on the Hokuriku coastal area in winter. Additionally, SLFS is also highly observed in Kuroshio extension region in winter and with scattered distribution over the western Japan in summer.