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.

Petersons work is described in a paper in the Journal of Geophysical Research: Atmospheres. The x-ray effect produces a map of the cloud density, giving an idea of the anatomy of the storm beneath its dark exterior. Lightning measurements allow us to look through the anvil shield of intense thunderstorms to sense the dynamics at the heart of convection, he says.

As well as giving close-up detail, the wide view from the GLM satellite means it should be possible to follow the progress of many storms simultaneously and provide weather warnings across a wide area. Were essentially trying to use lightning to create something akin to a simple weather radar for all thunderstorms across the Americas for now, and later across the globe, Peterson says.

This article was amended on 30 October 2019 to correct the spelling of Michael Peterson. A previous version referred to him as Michael Petersen.

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