Hi how to make a flicker effect form storm lightning.

Hello everyone, how to make realistic lightning lightning flicker effect, I have so many questions but they all explain an easy way to create just flickering light for indoor scenario.
I need to know how to make a more detailed flicker setting with a lot of control parameters, for example, a pause after the next lightning or how many times to increase the light intensity in half a second, right now I only have a period control.

I have an ocean scene with a part of a ship where my real actors are, and I need to copy the feeling of a cloudy ocean with a far lightning effect with lights only(without beams).
Thx!