Unprecedented Lightning Activity Detected In Hurricane Milton Eyewall

This GOES-16 GeoColor satellite image taken at 4:50 p.m. EDT and provided by National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) shows Tropical Storm Milton, center, off the coast of Mexico in the

Meteorologist Chris Vagasky, from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, has reported an extraordinary phenomenon in Hurricane Milton currently active in the Atlantic Basin. The storm's eyewall, where the strongest winds are concentrated, has displayed an unprecedented number of lightning events. In just 14 hours, over 58,000 lightning events were detected, averaging more than one event per second.

This type of lightning activity, known as 'enveloped eyewall lightning' (EEL) signature, is rare, with only 10% of tropical cyclones worldwide developing this characteristic annually. To put this into perspective, Hurricane Ian, a Category 5 hurricane in the Gulf in 2022, had approximately 1,000 lightning events, significantly fewer than Hurricane Milton.

Enveloped eyewall lightning (EEL) is a rare phenomenon in tropical cyclones, occurring in only 10% annually.

Hurricane Milton's eyewall had an unprecedented 58,000 lightning events in 14 hours.

Hurricane Milton's lightning activity surpasses that of Hurricane Ian, a Category 5 hurricane in 2022.

The magnitude of lightning observed in Hurricane Milton's eyewall places it in the same league as historic tropical cyclones like Super Typhoon Haiyan in 2013 and Hurricane Patricia in 2015. Vagasky described the amount of lightning as 'exceptional' and a clear indication of the hurricane's rapid strengthening.

Furthermore, Vagasky suggested that as the planet continues to warm, such intense lightning signatures, like the one seen in Hurricane Milton, may become more common. He emphasized that with the increasing frequency of high-end tropical cyclones, occurrences of the EEL signature are likely to rise.