Operational analysis of electric field mills as lightning warning systems in Colombia

Electrostatic field measurements obtained in Bogotá-Colombia during thunderstorm episodes in November (common raining season due to the intertropical confluence zone over central Colombia) where used to study the performance of an isolated electric field sensor and analyze its most important operational characteristics. Distances from each flash to the studied sensor were obtained by using the Colombian lightning location system. The DE vs distance relation allowed defining a charge model which can be used as a reference for calibrating other electrostatic field sensors to be used as lightning warning systems.