Comparing ground-based lightning detection networks near wildfire points-of-origin

Lightning detection and attribution to wildfire ignitions is a critical component of fire management worldwide to both reduce hazards of wildfire to values-at-risk and to enhance the potential for wildland fire to provide resource benefits in fire-adapted ecosystems. We compared two operational ground-based lightning detection networks used by fire managers to identify cloud-to-ground strokes within operationally-relevant distances (1.6 km) of the origins of 4408 western United States lightning-ignited wildfires spanning May-September 2020. Applying two sets of constraints-varying holdover time and applying a quality control measure-we found strokes were co-detected near 55-65% of fires, increasing to 65-79% for detection by at least one network, with neither network detecting lightning near 1024-1666 fires. Because each network detected strokes near 136-376 unique fires, the use of both networks is suggested to increase the probability of identifying potential fire starts. Given the number of fires with network-unique detections and no detections by either network, improvements in lightning detection networks are recommended given increasing fire hazard.