STEPS 2000 JD 00188 06JULY2000

The following is the final listing of the times of sprites imaged at the Yucca Ridge Field Station. These are on visual inspection of the LLTV video monitoring system. All times are UTC. The times refer to the start of the 17 ms field in which the TLE was first visible.

SUMMARY: Low centered near GLD caused complex dry/moist surface fields. Several intense supercell-like storms formed. The sw Kansas cell died out towards, but a very large storm, with tops to 65,000 ft moved south-southeast out of NE into the LMA. It had high IC flash rates, but lower CG rates, and not too many positives. It provided excellent video before sunset. Just after sunset, Mark Stanley reported seeing a burst of about 17 sprites from his position. YRFS was blocked by an annoying patch of clouds parked right in front of the storm. We could see the many ICs but not the sky above. Mark said the sprites stopped shortly after 0325Z, and then the storm collapsed with amazing rapidity. It had a massive cold anvil which persisted several hours. We finally saw sprites starting at 0414Z from a smaller cell in central NE. By 0500Z, clouds blocked viewing of the remaining target, a squall line in northeast NE. Both USU and Stanford operated full suites of sensors. No good gravity waves.

Did get one sprite in GEN III at 0324 over the LMA which Mark also saw.

Smoke from western slope fires reduced visibility somewhat. Moon illuminated clouds.

Total TLEs from Yucca Ridge This Campaign: 950+

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(S) = Sprite; (E) = Elve; (B) = Blue Jet; (CF/CG) = Cloud/Ground flash; (M)=Meteor

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00-188

6 July 2000

SPRITE TIMES

03.24.21.0.77 S]

04:14:50.126 [S]

04:31:15.368 [S]

04:41:39.641 [S]

04:49:56.352 [S]