Dataset for the paper titled "Distinct Cloud-to-ground Lightning Properties in Frontal versus Warm-sector Heavy Rainfall Events"

This dataset supports the manuscript titled "Distinct Cloud-to-ground Lightning Properties in Frontal versus Warm-sector Heavy Rainfall Events," submitted to Earth and Space Science for publication. The key findings of the study are as follows: Scientists have observed that different types of thunderstorms produce lightning with distinct behaviors, such as the frequency of strikes, the dominant type (within clouds or to the ground), and the primary polarity of the charge transferred to the ground (positive or negative). But do different storms produce lightning with different physical traits, like the number of return strokes (the most rapid and violent charge neutralization process between cloud and ground) per cloud-to-ground flash or the strength of its current? This question is still not clear. Answering this is vital, both for understanding thunderstorms and for improving lightning risk forecasts. This is because the number of return strokes and the current strength directly determine how much damage a lightning strike can cause. Our analysis of two common storm types in Guangdong—Frontal and Warm-Sector Heavy Rainfall—revealed a clear difference: Warm-Sector storms produced negative cloud-to-ground lightning with more return strokes and higher peak currents than Frontal storms. Interestingly, this resulted in positive cloud-to-ground lightning being stronger in Frontal storms, while negative cloud-to-ground lightning was stronger in Warm-Sector storms. We found these patterns persisted across a range of rainfall intensities. Interestingly, as the rainfall intensified—suggesting stronger convection in both systems—the cloud-to-ground lightning characteristics of the two storm types began to converge. Based on this, we suggest that in typical, non-severe thunderstorms, stronger convection may tend to produce negative cloud-to-ground lightning with fewer return strokes and lower peak currents (Note: Our study did not include severe storms that produce tornadoes or hail, as these behave differently). In short, our work demonstrates that a thunderstorm's strength directly shapes the physical nature of its cloud-to-ground lightning—an essential insight for developing lightning risk models.