The Weather Network launches lightening strike database

Insurance companies can now validate lightning strikes using the lightning strike data archive launched by The Weather Network.
In Canada, lightning is responsible for more than $5 billion in total insurance industry losses annually, The Weather Network reports.
The archive of data is designed to help companies authenticate lightning strikes as a possible cause for forest fires, power outages or property damage.
The service is an extension of the Pelmorex Lightning Detection Network (PLDN). The PLDN utilizes the timing precision of GPS technology and super-refined triangulation techniques to accurately pinpoint the location of lightning strikes across Canada.
This results in a lower false strike rate and increased confidence in strike location relative to important assets, according to The Weather Network.
The data provided for each individual lightning strike includes:
• date and time;
• latitude/longitude;
• polarity (positive/negative);
• amplitude (strike strength measured in ampere’s); and
• type (cloud-to-cloud/cloud-to-ground).