The study of Thunderstorms in Iran

Thunderstorms are one of the atmospheric phenomena; when they occur, strong winds are often reported along with heavy rains and lightning. In many cases, their occurrence is accompanied by a lot of financial and human losses. This research was carried out to investigate the Spatio-Temporal of thunderstorms and understand their trends in Iran. For this purpose, the monthly data of the number of days of thunderstorms in 201 Synoptic stations in Iran from the beginning of establishment to 2010 were used. First, the frequency of monthly and annual occurrence of thunderstorms at Synoptic stations in Iran was calculated. Also, the trend of thunderstorms was investigated based on the non-parametric Mann-Kendall test and the amount of decrease or increase of this phenomenon was determined with the help of the Sen’s slope estimator test. The results of this research showed that thunderstorms occur in all areas of Iran. However, the frequency of this phenomenon is more in the North-West, South-West, and South-East of Iran than in other parts. In terms of time, in every month of the year, part(s) of Iran is the center of the maximum occurrence of thunderstorms. For example, in the winter of southwest, south, and southeast of Iran, in the early spring of west and northwest of Iran, and the late spring of the southeast of the country, the main focus of this phenomenon has been. In the summer, northwest to the northeast of Iran and southeast and south of Fars province are the main centers of thunderstorm formation. At the beginning of the autumn season, the coasts of the Caspian Sea to the north of the Persian Gulf and towards the northwest of Iran, and in November and December, the southwest and west of Iran were the main places of occurrence of this weather phenomenon. Other results of this research showed that the trend of thunderstorms was not similar in Iran. This phenomenon showed a significant increasing trend (more than 1 day per year) at the 99% confidence level in the northwest, southwest, and southern half of Kerman province. Also, a significant decrease (0.7 days per year) was estimated in the southeast and a large part of central Iran. In other parts of Iran, a decrease or increase in thunderstorms has been observed in a scattered manner, although the amount was not significant at the 99%, 95%, and 90% confidence levels.