11institutetext: Knowledge-based Systems and Document Processing Research Group Faculty of Computer Science Otto-von-Guericke-University Magdeburg 11email: [email protected] Previous lightning studies using radars mostly consisted of observations with reflector-antenna systems yielding slower scan times. However, Phased Array Radars (PARs) offer much faster scan times that are likely to capture echoes from propagating lightning channels. We use rapidly updating Range-Height Indicator (RHI) scans collected by the fully-digital Horus PAR while sampling severe storms that occurred in Oklahoma to examine echoes from lightning plasma. Numerous lightning echoes were observed during the sampling period in good spatial and temporal agreement with Lightning Mapping Array (LMA) detections of very high frequency (VHF) radiation sources. Numerous highly detailed lightning-plasma signatures were identified and objectively analyzed. They result in increased horizontal reflectivity factor, deviations in radial velocity and spectrum width, highly variable differential reflectivity and differential phase, and decreases in correlation coefficient. Results presented highlight the capability of PARs to remotely detect lightning, supporting the study of lightning physics, and to monitor lightning activity.
