Analyzing Horizontal Distances between WSR-88D Thunderstorm Centroids and Cloud-to-Ground Lightning Strikes

On April 29, 1996, lightning struck the airfield at Hurlburt Field, FL, killing one Airman and injuring ten others. This cloud-to-ground lightning strike hit eight minutes after a lightning advisory was canceled. At the time of the strike, thunderstorms were observed 7 to 10 miles north and south of the airfield. The incident raised questions about Air Force Weather Agency's lightning criteria. Soon after the incident, a Lightning Safety Review Panel was assembled to determine the adequacy of lightning advisories. One of the questions posed to the panel was could an incident like Hurlburt happen again? The review panel could not answer that question due to the lack of documented research on how far lightning can travel horizontally before striking the ground.