Higher Proportion of High‐Energy Lightning Strokes in Global High‐Altitude Areas

Abstract By examining proportions of high‐energy strokes from the World Wide Lightning Location Network (WWLLN) between 60°S and 60°N, and high‐radiance events from the Lightning Imaging Sensor (LIS) between 38°N and 38°S, along with the average energies of WWLLN strokes and LIS events with specific thresholds, we discovered significantly higher proportions of high‐energy lightning strokes and greater average stroke energies over high‐altitude terrains, a phenomenon not previously reported. These highlands include the Tibetan Plateau, Mongolian Plateau, Iranian and Anatolian Plateaus, South African Plateau, mountain regions in western North America, and Andes Mountains. In terms of both proportion and average energy, high‐energy WWLLN strokes show a stronger correlation with highlands than high‐energy LIS events. Considering the different observation modes of WWLLN and LIS, this may suggest a stronger connection between highlands and high‐energy lightning strokes occurring beneath and in the lower parts of thunderstorms.