Characteristics of positive cloud to ground flashes in Malaysia and correlation with cloud top height

Abstract

Positive cloud to ground (CG) flashes lowers positive charges from cloud to ground. Positive CG grasps more attention since they are highly allied with severe thunderstorms. Positive CG is known to account only approximately 10% out of all CG flashes. The positive CG can be compared with negative CG, IC (intra cloud) and NBE (narrow bipolar event) flashes. The experimental setup to capture the electric field produced by the lightning flashes has taken place at UTeM Melaka. The measurement setup consists of 2 parallel plates, buffer circuit, antenna, high speed camera, GPS, Picoscope digitizer, and computer. The NBE, preliminary breakdown pulses, and first return stroke are included in this process. From the recorded data, very few positive CG have been captured. This is because the occurrence of positive CG is very less in low latitude countries due to the absence or very less anvil shape of the clouds. It is found that the occurrence of positive CG is very less about which is approximately 1.275% by average in two days and the cloud top height is about 13km to 14 km during the occurrence of positive CG.