Weather's Critical Role in Wildfire Behavior

Wildfires have always played their part in the majority of ecosystems. However, some of the most destructive wildfires have been witnessed in recent times in highly populated parts of the world such as the Western United States, Australia, and Canada (1). It is very obvious that human causes rank as primary ignition sources, be those from campfires or accidental powerline sparks. However, weather provides the other leg that can easily turn a smoldering fire into a blazing inferno. To understand the rising scale and ferocity of today's wildfires, you have to look at the intersection of weather and fire.

Does Weather Cause Fires?

Lightning strikes Earth thousands of times each day. Sometimes these bolts ignite fires, especially during dry thunderstorms when rain evaporates before reaching the ground. But here's the surprising part - lightning causes less than 15% of wildfires. Most fires start much closer to home (2).

Human activity lights most wildfire matches. Abandoned campfires, sparking equipment, downed power lines, even carelessly tossed cigarettes start more fires than all of nature's lightning combined. But the weather decides what happens next.

What is Fire Weather?