An overview of the lightning and atmospheric electricity observations collected in Southern France during the HYdrological cycle in Mediterranean EXperiment (HyMeX), Special Observation Period 1.

The PEACH (Projet en Electricité Atmosphérique pour la Campagne HyMeX - the Atmospheric Electricity Project of HyMeX Program) project is the Atmospheric Electricity component of the HyMeX (Hydrology cycle in the Mediterranean Experiment) experiment and is dedicated to the observation of both lightning activity and electrical state of continental and maritime thunderstorms in the area of the Mediterranean Sea. During the HyMeX SOP1 (Special Observation Period; 5 September-6 November 2012), four European Operational Lightning Locating Systems (OLLSs) (ATDNET, EUCLID, LINET, ZEUS) and the HyMeX Lightning Mapping Array network (HyLMA) were used to locate and characterize the lightning activity over the Southeastern Mediterranean at flash, storm and regional scales. Additional research instruments like slow antennas, video cameras, micro-barometer and microphone arrays were also operated. All these observations in conjunction with operational/research ground-based and airborne radars, rain gauges and in situ microphysical records aimed at characterizing and understanding electrically active and highly precipitating events over Southeastern France that often lead to severe flash floods. Simulations performed with Cloud Resolving Models like Meso-NH and WRF are used to interpret the results and to investigate further the links between dynamics, microphysics, electrification and lightning occurrence. A description of the different instruments deployed during the field campaign as well as the available datasets is given first. Examples of concurrent observations from radio frequency to acoustic for regular and atypical lightning flashes are then presented showing a rather comprehensive description of lightning flashes available from the SOP1 records. Then examples of storms recorded during HyMeX SOP1 over Southeastern France are briefly described to highlight the unique and rich dataset collected. Finally the next steps of the work required for the delivery of reliable lightning-derived products to the HyMeX community are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]