New simulation results show that obliquely-propagating lightning-generated whistlers which fill vast volumes of the magnetosphere readily induce significant energetic electron precipitation over large regions of the ionosphere, depositing appreciable energy flux to the upper atmosphere at locations substantially poleward of the lightning source. These results provide a new interpretation for the observed spatial relationships between lightning discharges and subsequently disturbed ionospheric regions inferred from subionospheric signal perturbations (i.e., Trimpi events) reported in several lightning-induced electron precipitation (LEP) studies. ¿ 1999 American Geophysical Union