NASA’s Lightning-AI: Advanced Lightning Prediction Webinar
When: Tue, 9/1/2026 at 2:00 PM (Eastern Time)
Be among the first to explore Lightning‑AI, NASA’s breakthrough in predictive lightning forecasting. Developed at Marshall Space Flight Center in partnership with the University of Alabama in Huntsville, this machine‑learning technology was created to address a critical gap in today’s lightning detection systems. Lightning‑AI identifies the atmospheric fingerprints of electrification minutes before lightning begins — providing operational insight that traditional, reactive systems cannot deliver.
Unlike reactive lightning detection networks, Lightning-AI leverages physics-based radar signatures and advanced deep learning to forecast lightning initiation 15–30 minutes in advance. With an 84% probability of detection and seamless compatibility with existing WSR‑88D infrastructure, the technology enables earlier, more confident decision-making for aviation, weather services, emergency management, spaceflight operations, and large outdoor venues.
Whether you're building next-generation forecasting products or enhancing risk mitigation for high-stakes environments, Lightning-AI offers a commercially ready pathway to transform lightning safety from reactive to predictive.
To learn more about licensing this technology, please visit this page.
Dr. Christopher Schultz is a research scientist at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama. His work focuses on two primary objectives: understanding how and why clouds become electrified, and using lightning as a diagnostic signal to identify hazards that affect the public, operations, and infrastructure.
Atmospheric electricity and storm intensity are influenced by many of the same processes, particularly vertical motion within clouds. Dr. Schultz has applied lightning observations to identify the onset of hazardous conditions associated with severe storms, hurricanes, snowstorms, volcanoes, and pyrocumulonimbus clouds (thunderstorms generated by wildfires). Lightning serves as a valuable indicator of the strength and evolution of vertical motions in these systems, which are otherwise difficult to measure directly due to limited observational capabilities or the risks posed to aircraft.
Dr. Schultz’s research has led to the development and operational adoption of five techniques used to identify severe and hazardous weather conditions. He has authored 15 first‑authored papers and 29 coauthored papers, with more than 3,200 citations. He is a recipient of NASA’s Early Achievement Medal and is currently a member of the National Lightning Safety Council.
