The Severe Thunderstorms Electrification and Precipitation Study (STEPS) will be held from 22 May through 16 July 2000 over the High Plains some 200 to 400 km east of the Yucca Ridge Field Station (see www.mmm.ucar.edu/community/steps.html). This large, multi-agency program will deploy a variety of observing systems to characterize the co-evolving dynamical, microphysical and electrical features of convective storms, with a special emphasis on those generating significant positive cloud-to-ground lightning. Of particular interest will be the first full-scale deployment of the New Mexico Tech 3-D Lighting Mapping Array (LMA) and numerous electric field sensors. FMA Research (Walt Lyons) will provide support to STEPS including monitoring with Xybion ISS255 cameras, color CCD digital cameras, and photometers for sprites, blue jets and elves above storms near the STEPS domain. The lightning discharges will be recorded both on GPS-time stamped tape (with VLF audio) and sampled using a photodiode system constructed by Tom Nelson. Lightning video data will be combined with that from a special waveform recorder set up by Global Atmospherics Corp. (Ken Cummins) on the Colorado State University Campus. One goal is to better understand the possible contribution of intracloud discharges to small amplitude +CG flashes identified by the NLDN. In conjunction with Earle Williams, MIT, we will record near-field ELF signals at Yucca Ridge. Additional ELF transient monitoring will be conducted in Rhode Island, by MIT at 2.7 Mm range and is Israel (Colin Price, Tel Aviv University) at 12 M. during STEPS, a team from Stanford University (Elizabeth Gerken) will operate a telescopic imaging system to obtain extreme close up views of sprites. Utah State University (Mike Taylor) will also operate narrow band intensified video imaging systems, for sprite monitoring, as well as documented storm generated gravity wave modulates of the airglow layer. Russ Armstrong (Mission Research Corp) contributed a data acquisition system and Dave Suszcynsky (Los Alamos National Lab) contributed a Xybion camera and tracking unit to the effort. FMA’s primary goal during STEPS is to define the distinguishing characteristics of those +CGs which do and do not generate sprites or elves. An undergraduate meteorology study (Judy Fossum) from the University of Northern Colorado will participate in data acquisition and analysis activities. Of particular interest will be verifying the hypothesis that the prime generators of sprites are +CGs with large charge moments and unusual continuing current characteristics, perhaps associated with horizontally extensive “spider” lightning near the freezing level in the MCS trailing stratiform region. During STEPS, daily sprite forecasts and nowcasts (during actual observing periods) will be posted on the Yucca Ridge web site (www.FMA-Research.com).