Thunderstruck "Help" Page - Written By Pete Parsons on 4-5-2019 (updated 7-22-2025)

The "Thunderstruck" project was conceived and built by Tom Jenkins.  A complete stand-alone module was available at:
http://odfnet2010.odf.state.or.us/Protection/SmokeMgmt/Pages/Thunderstruck.aspx but was apparently lost during a file reorganization
circa 2023.  This program aids in viewing graphics quickly.					  

A grouping of 4 historical lightning charts/labels (data period: 1996-2005) is dynamically generated, via a php program, preceded
by a row of links and a header.  Each images is a link, to either its respective full-sized image or to the Thunderstruck home page.
 
Four time variables can be "passed" in the URL:  year, month, day, and hour (the defaults are the current of each in PDT).

Special graphics, telling users that the "Storm track direction" is not available, are inserted, if there is no 700mb 12Z wind data for
the given "in-season" day.  The 700mb wind data is the "key" for selecting the appropriate historical images.

The archived lightning graphics are only available from May-October, so an "out-of-season" html page is displayed, for "off" months.
That necessitated the use of a "mode" variable, so the program can be set to 'demo' mode to display graphics during the "off-season." 
                                
                                               *** Important! ***
  All variable names (shown "inside") must be in small case, but their values (shown 'inside') are not case sensitive.

  The day/time variables (defaults are the current month, day, and hour, in PDT)...

    The year - "year" = '1973', '1979', ... '2019'
    The month - "month" = '01', '02', '03', '04', '05', ... '12'
    The day - "day" = '01', '02', '03', '04', ... '31'
    The hour - "hour" = '00', '01', '02', '03', '04', ... '23'
  
    Note:  The parent php program is written to allow for leading zeros to be included or omitted
  
  The 700mb morning "wind" variables (if passed, the program will use these values instead of actual winds from sounding)...
    
    "salem_wind" = 'calm', 'east', 'north', 'northeast', 'northwest', 'south', 'southeast', 'southwest', 'west'
    "medford_wind" = 'calm', 'east', 'north', 'northeast', 'northwest', 'south', 'southeast', 'southwest', 'west'
    "spokane_wind" = 'calm', 'east', 'north', 'northeast', 'northwest', 'south', 'southeast', 'southwest', 'west'  
  
  The "mode" variable (default is 'live')...
  
    "mode" = 'live', 'demo'
  
    Note:  Setting the "mode" variable to 'demo' will render all other variables superfluous (images become static). 
  
  The above parameters may be "passed" to the parent php program by adding them to the end of the url, separated by "&", as follows:
  
  Examples:
  
  4 a.m. - 5 a.m. PDT - keying on 700mb winds from the morning of June 8th, 2018:
  https://smkmgt.com/tom/thunderstruck/4_panel_charts.php?year=2018&month=06&day=08&hour=04
  
  3 p.m. - 4 p.m. PDT - keying on October and using preset 700mb winds...
  NW Oregon - north winds; SW & central Oregon - east winds; NE Oregon - NE winds:
  https://smkmgt.com/tom/thunderstruck/4_panel_charts.php?month=10&hour=15&salem_wind=north&medford_wind=east&spokane_wind=northeast
  
  Uses preset graphics for demonstation purposes:  
  https://smkmgt.com/tom/thunderstruck/4_panel_charts.php?mode=demo