Ka-chow! A simple irregular 2D lattice model of lightning

TL;DR

This paper introduces a simple irregular 2D lattice model for lightning that accurately simulates large-scale propagation and estimates strike probabilities on various targets, improving realism over regular lattice models.

Contribution

The paper presents a novel irregular lattice model for lightning propagation that enables large-scale simulation with localized grid refinement and unbiased directional propagation.

Findings

Model captures large 2 km x 2 km systems

Allows grid refinement near points of interest

Estimates lightning strike probabilities on humans and animals

Abstract

A model of lightning that captures the propagation of lightning channels on an irregular lattice is developed. The irregular lattice allows us to capture large two-dimensional systems (2 km x 2 km), while allowing grid refinement (on the order of cm) near areas of interest. Furthermore, the direction of lightning propagation is not biased in the orthogonal or diagonal directions of regular lattices. The probability of lightning strikes on people in standing positions, people in crouched positions, people near a tree and cattle are estimated.