Andrew Gideon wrote
From my reading - light yet, I admit - it sounded like lightening occurred
only after the developing stage is well along.

Depends on what you mean by well along. In fact, on a day with strong
thermal activity, you can actually detect the static discharges from
thermals. They don't fit the models developed for lightning strikes,
and often a thermal that is close will show up as a strike much
farther away.

It takes time for the
difference in potential to grow enough that discharges occur, as I've
understand what I read.

Did I misunderstand?

No, that part is right. But realize that when the activity is strong,
it doesn't take that much time. Basically, by the time there is
enough liquid water for RADAR to see it, there are static discharges
strong enough for spherics.

Wouldn't a strikefinder, by definition, not see a storm that wasn't yet a
thunderstorm?

Not really. Static discharges need not be lightning to be detectable.

Also, nothing was clustering. There were regions with indicated strikes,
but of no major density. If I had to guess, I'd say that my understanding
about the time it takes for discharges to occur is wrong, and this is a
demonstration of "near t-storms" appearing on the strikefinder.

Exactly.

A spherics device won't keep you dry (since it can't see
non-convective rain) but it will keep you out of severe turbulence.
In fact, I've yet to encounter anything worse than occsional light
turbulence while relying solely on the spherics. Moderate turbulence
in clouds is something I've only ever experienced when allowing a
controller with RADAR to vector me through an area I would not have
entered without RADAR assistance.

Michael