"Teacherjh" wrote in message
...
I think he (or she?) means that the storm becomes worth avoiding =before=
static discharge happens. So, there is a window of development of storms
that
the stormscope does not cover. I don't know whether this is true or not,
but I
think that is what was being said.

A developing storm won't necessarily show rain either. Falling rain occurs
during the mature and dissipating stages of thunderstorm development, and
while water droplets may be present during the developing stage (being
lifted by the updraft), there may not necessarily be enough to show up on
radar as a significant storm.

I agree that his statement might have meant what you said, rather than what
I thought it meant. But I still don't see how it would imply 'spherics
devices are inferior for detecting thunderstorms. Also, while I'm not
positive, if I recall correctly lightning is present in any thunderstorm
where turbulence and strong updrafts are present, regardless of the stage of
development.

In other words, lightning is a very good indicator of what kinds of
thunderstorms should be avoided.

There are certainly "almost thunderstorms" that it's best to fly around.

No doubt...but I haven't seen anything that would suggest a Stormscope or
Strikefinder wouldn't identify those storms.

Pete