Synoptic meteorological conditions of gamma-ray glows in winter thunderstorms

Abstract The Gamma-ray Observation of Winter Thunderclouds collaboration has detected 70 gamma-ray glows, a high-energy phenomenon associated with thunderstorms, from October 2016 to March 2020 in Kanazawa and Komatsu, Ishikawa Prefecture, central part Japan facing the Sea Japan. Based on surface 500 hPa analyses, numerical prediction models, satellite observations, we classify their synoptic meteorological conditions into mainly three types. Most glow-detection cases were west or west-southwest winds around detection sites. Over half took place when convex structure pressure, often trough at hPa, was formed along coast Besides, extract non-detection during winter thunderstorms compare cases. While some have similar as cases, most exhibited higher temperatures 850 − 10 $$^{\circ }$$ ∘ C altitudes, which indicates that electrification occurs altitudes than Therefore, gamma rays might been produced but attenuated before reaching ground undetectable sea level.