Lightning and precipitation history of a microburst‐producing storm

Quantitative measurements of the lightning and precipitation life‐cycle of a microburst‐producing storm are described. The storm produced 116 total flashes of which only 6 were discharges to ground. The initial discharge occurred during a period of vigorous vertical development, approximately 4‐6 min after small hail was first indicated by radar. The peak flash rate of 23 flashes min −1 occurred only 7‐8 min later, 4 min prior to microburst onset, in conjunction with the peak in storm mass, vertically integrated liquid water content, echo volume, and cloud height. An abrupt decrease in the total flash rates is associated with storm collapse and serves as a precursor to the arrival of the maximum microburst outflows at the surface. Ice‐phase precipitation is shown to be an important factor in both the formation of the strong downdraft and the electrification of the storm.