A computerized method for generating proxy reflectivity data and radar-type images associated with lightning activity, the method comprising: detecting, by a network of lightning detection sensors (102a-102c) each monitoring a particular geographical area, radio-frequency energy data associated with lightning flashes in the corresponding geographical area; transmitting, by the network of lightning detection sensors, the RF energy data to a computing device communicably coupled to the network of lightning detection sensors; formatting, by the computing device, the RF energy data received from the network of lightning detection sensors into consolidated lightning flash data; identifying, by the computing device, one or more cells of lighting activity based upon the consolidated lightning flash data, comprising positioning each lightning flash on a map according to its geographic location, superimposing a first grid on the map and identifying sectors of the first grid with a high density of lightning flashes, superimposing a second grid only on the identified sectors of the map to locate closed contours associated with a lightning cell within the identified sectors, and generating a convex polygon from each of the closed contours, wherein sectors of the first grid are larger in geographic area than sectors of the second grid; determining, by the computing device, a logarithmic scale of a combined in-cloud and cloud-to-ground flash rate (dBR) for the identified cells of lightning activity; generating, by the computing device, proxy reflectivity data based on the dBR of the identified cells of lightning activity and the geographical location of the identified cells of lightning activity; generating, by a graphics processing unit, GPU, of the computing device, radar-type images based upon the proxy reflectivity data, the radar-type images including a polygon that has a position corresponding to a position of each convex polygon generated by the computing device and that has a color associated with a severity of the lightning activity; displaying, by a display device coupled to the GPU, the radar-type images; and issuing, by the computing device, the radar-type images to one or more remote computing devices monitoring geographical areas at risk that correspond to geographical areas in the radar-type images as part of an alert notification message. detecting, by a network of lightning detection sensors (102a-102c) each monitoring a particular geographical area, radio-frequency energy data associated with lightning flashes in the corresponding geographical area; transmitting, by the network of lightning detection sensors, the RF energy data to a computing device communicably coupled to the network of lightning detection sensors; formatting, by the computing device, the RF energy data received from the network of lightning detection sensors into consolidated lightning flash data; identifying, by the computing device, one or more cells of lighting activity based upon the consolidated lightning flash data, comprising positioning each lightning flash on a map according to its geographic location, superimposing a first grid on the map and identifying sectors of the first grid with a high density of lightning flashes, superimposing a second grid only on the identified sectors of the map to locate closed contours associated with a lightning cell within the identified sectors, and generating a convex polygon from each of the closed contours, wherein sectors of the first grid are larger in geographic area than sectors of the second grid; determining, by the computing device, a logarithmic scale of a combined in-cloud and cloud-to-ground flash rate (dBR) for the identified cells of lightning activity; generating, by the computing device, proxy reflectivity data based on the dBR of the identified cells of lightning activity and the geographical location of the identified cells of lightning activity; generating, by a graphics processing unit, GPU, of the computing device, radar-type images based upon the proxy reflectivity data, the radar-type images including a polygon that has a position corresponding to a position of each convex polygon generated by the computing device and that has a color associated with a severity of the lightning activity; displaying, by a display device coupled to the GPU, the radar-type images; and issuing, by the computing device, the radar-type images to one or more remote computing devices monitoring geographical areas at risk that correspond to geographical areas in the radar-type images as part of an alert notification message.