The Satellite That Spies on America's Lightning

(gentle music) (thunder crashing)

[Narrator] You never know where

lightning is going to strike.

The mystery is kind of its thing.

But scientists have a powerful new tool

to keep better tabs on thunderstorms.

This is GOES-16, NOAA's shiny weather satellite

which launched late last year.

At this very moment, it's monitoring every bit

of the Americas for lightning strikes.

GOES-16 is miles above its predecessor,

working with 1,000 times the amount of information.

With this super powered eye in the sky,

scientists can provide better warning

of severe thunderstorms as they're developing.

Researchers can even monitor lightning strikes

to better predict when and where tornadoes might touch down.

Really it's all about lightning flash rates.

If scientists see that climbing,

it's a good sign a storm is revving its engine.

So maybe lightning's enduring mystery is beginning to fade,

but I'm not going to be the one to tell it that.

(thunder crashing) (gentle music)