Assessment of Lightning Characteristics in Pakistan

Abstract:
The aim of this paper is to analyze the lightning characteristics of various regions in Pakistan using the data from the lightning location system for the years 2019 to 2021. The acquired data from the lightning location system comprises longitude, latitude, peak lightning current, nature of flash, and polarity. The graphs comprising ground flash density and the overall flash count have been presented, and the most vulnerable zone in Pakistan has been identified. Furthermore, the probability density function has been employed to determine the best fit for the observed peak lightning currents, both in the case of positive and negative cloud-to-ground lightning for Islamabad (the high-risk zone). The analysis depicts a median value of 38 kA and 13 kA for positive and negative first strokes, compared to the median values of 35 and 30 kA reported in the literature. The presented study can serve as a potentially viable approach to evaluate the reliability of the protection system based on the actual lightning characteristics and ground flash density.