Dry lightning risk to increase across wildfire-ravaged West

 By Renee Duff, AccuWeather meteorologist

Published Aug. 22, 2020 6:29 AM

Fire crews across the western United States are working tirelessly to contain dozens of large blazes that have charred more than a million acres and filled the sky with a smoky haze. Mother Nature will provide little assistance in the battle and may only complicate efforts even further into midweek.

More land in California has now been burned by wildfires this season than the entire acreage of the state of New Jersey.

An air tanker drops retardant as the LNU Lightning Complex fires tear through the Spanish Flat community in unincorporated Napa County, California, Tuesday, Aug. 18, 2020. (AP Photo/Noah Berger)

"Fires in California during 2019 burned a total of 259,823 acres. That is nearly equal to the number of acres that burned just this past Thursday in California. An incredible difference from last year to this one," AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist and western U.S. blogger Brian Thompson said.

In total across the West, over 1.4 million acres have been burned by active blazes, with most of the large fires being reported in California, Arizona and Oregon, according to the National Interagency Fire Center.

AccuWeather meteorologists are concerned that even more fires will be sparked in the coming days as dry lightning dangers will be on the increase. Dry lightning is a term used during a thunderstorm that produces little to no rainfall.

These dangers will be on the rise as energy from what was once Hurricane Genevieve slides northward across California into Monday.

"This energy will help act as the trigger for thunderstorms across the state. The tropical moisture will assist as well," Thompson said.

"It's not out of the question that some rain may assist firefighters in getting current fires under control, but overall rainfall amounts are not expected to be significant," Thompson said.

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New lightning-induced fire threats will emerge in this pattern -- and these risks may not just be confined to California. Thunderstorms are also likely to be on the increase across the Four Corners states and Great Basin during the early and middle part of the week.

In addition to lightning dangers, gusty winds are possibly amid any of the thunderstorms, which can cause erratic fire behavior and rapid spread.

Those who may be outdoor hiking or camping should plan to head out early in the morning and return by midday to avoid the bulk of the thunderstorms. Be watchful for rapidly growing and darkening clouds, which can be a sign that a storm is brewing.

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If thunder is heard or lightning is seen, head immediately downhill to a valley or depression in the terrain.

"Anyone who is camping should also be aware of any local fire bans," AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Dan Pydynowski said. "In places where campfires are allowed, people need to be sure to put out fires and embers."

Temperatures will remain a general 5-10 degrees Fahrenheit above average across California's Central Valley, the Great Basin and Desert Southwest through the week.

"August will go down as the hottest ever for a large portion of the Southwest, and there looks to be very little relief from the heat through the end of the month," AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist David Samuhel said.

This satellite image captured on Thursday, Aug. 20, 2020, shows an expansive area of smoke across the West. (GOES-WEST)

Exceptions to this rule will be where smoke is thick in the atmosphere, which prevents more of the sun's rays from reaching the ground. For example, Sacramento, California, recorded seven straight days with temperatures at or above 100 before smoke moved in on Thursday and Friday and held temperatures to 88 and 92, respectively.

"Smoke will be a persistent problem in many areas for at least this week and likely for the next few weeks," Thompson said.

As of Sunday morning, the Air Quality Index (AQI) ranged from moderate to very unhealthy across a large part of the West due to the smoke, according to AirNow.gov. Even those with no underlying respiratory illnesses should limit time outside altogether when the AQI reaches the unhealthy and very unhealthy categories.

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