Weatherwatch: cloud 'x-rays' seek to reveal anatomy of a storm

Satellite cameras are being used to penetrate thunderstorms and produce a map of their density

Scientists have long used satellite cameras, such as the Geostationary Lightning Mapper (GLM), to count lightning flashes and monitor storms. Now Michael Peterson, of Los Alamos National Laboratory, is using the pulses of illumination to produce "fulminograms" showing clouds from inside.

"The output resembles an x-ray image of the storm," Peterson says. "When light must penetrate thick convective cells, they stand out as dark spots in the image, while the brightest spots show us where lots of light can leak out of the cloud."