Nine of the 20 largest wildfires in California in the last 110 years were started by lightning strikes, including the devastating Lightning Complex fires in August 2020 that burned more than 750,000 acres in and around the Bay Area. Between 2017 and 2021, Northern California has witnessed 2,093 lightning-induced wildfires. And research now suggests that climate change could cause an increase in lightning strikes over the continental United States, which will likely lead to more wildfires being ignited by them. There’s no stopping lightning. But NOAA hopes some of the harmful effects can be reduced with better monitoring. A new environmental satellite, launched this spring, offers that potential, with constant and real-time views of atmospheric conditions over the Western United States and Pacific Ocean.
