Lightning Leader Step Length Meters

Audit resolved observed lightning-leader steps using high-speed frame times and measured local Cartesian positions; unresolved frames may combine steps, no universal step length, geodesy or lightning-distance safety inference.

Description

Resolved lightning-leader positions can reveal observed step distances between successive high-speed frames.

Resolved lightning-leader positions can reveal observed step distances between successive high-speed frames. Time resolution determines whether a measured displacement represents one physical step or several unresolved steps.^[1]

When to use Lightning Leader Step Length Meters

Use this tool to audit resolved observed lightning-leader steps using high-speed frame times and measured local Cartesian positions; unresolved frames may combine steps, no universal step length, geodesy or lightning-distance safety inference.

Prepare the observed sounding, cloud records or forecast verification data. Check pressure and height coordinates, wind conventions and the stated units.

How to use Lightning Leader Step Length Meters and understand its results

Prepare the observed sounding, cloud records or forecast verification data. Check pressure and height coordinates, wind conventions and the stated units.
Enter observationMicroseconds, observedLeaderPositionsM using the field table and calculation rules, then run the tool.
Read observedStepLengthsM, meanObservedLeaderStepLengthM, observedStepSpeedsMPerSecond. The explanation below defines the units, signs, ordering and any flags or placeholder values.
If the tool reports an input issue, correct the values and run it again. Apply the stated assumptions when interpreting a successfully returned result.

Input field	Meaning	Value type; see rules below	Requirement
observationMicroseconds	Observation microseconds	list of number	Required
observedLeaderPositionsM	Observed leader positions m	list of list of number	Required

Use increasing observation times in microseconds and aligned three-component Cartesian positions in meters, with at least two frames. Compute adjacent distances, their arithmetic mean and individual speeds in m/s.

Paired lists must be nonempty and have equal lengths. Each sequence checked for increasing order must contain at least two strictly increasing values.

step length = Euclidean distance between frames; speed = length × 10⁶/elapsed microseconds

Units, indexing, boundary conditions and exceptional cases are defined in the calculation rules above.

Output field	Meaning	Value type
observedStepLengthsM	Observed step lengths m	list of number
meanObservedLeaderStepLengthM	Mean observed leader step length m	number
observedStepSpeedsMPerSecond	Observed step speeds m per second	list of number

json

{
  "input": {
    "observationMicroseconds": [
      0,
      10,
      30
    ],
    "observedLeaderPositionsM": [
      [
        0,
        0,
        0
      ],
      [
        3,
        4,
        0
      ],
      [
        3,
        4,
        12
      ]
    ]
  },
  "output": {
    "observedStepLengthsM": [
      5,
      12
    ],
    "meanObservedLeaderStepLengthM": 8.5,
    "observedStepSpeedsMPerSecond": [
      500000,
      600000
    ]
  }
}

Limitations and assumptions

No universal leader-step length or geodesic distance is assumed. Unresolved motion and measurement errors remain in the observations.

Numeric inputs and returned numeric values must be finite; an unrepresentable returned value produces an error. Matrices are limited to 128 rows and 128 entries per row; other numeric lists are limited to 100,000 entries. Missing required fields, extra fields, wrong value types and violations of the calculation rules are input errors.

Alternative or Complementary methods

Use Sea Breeze Front Inland Propagation Distance: Integrate measured relative sea-breeze front speeds minus declared opposing background flow along fixed caller inland normal; signed retreat remains, no coast coordinates or propagation forecast. For a complementary task, use Cold Front Passing Temp Drop Rate: Audit observed interval cooling rates over irregular hours while preserving warming sign; temperature change alone does not establish a cold-front passage or weather hazard.

References

Lightning Leader Step Length Meters — tool.io

Similar or alternative tools

Sea Breeze Front Inland Propagation Distance
Integrate measured relative sea-breeze front speeds minus declared opposing background flow along fixed caller inland normal; signed retreat remains, no coast coordinates or propagation forecast.
Cold Front Passing Temp Drop Rate
Audit observed interval cooling rates over irregular hours while preserving warming sign; temperature change alone does not establish a cold-front passage or weather hazard.