Wildfire in Lime Village, Alaska

Source is the global lightning detection network (GLD) and radar/satellite observations. Strong thunderstorms produced frequent lightning as they moved near the western Alaska Range during the evening and overnight on 6/17, including near Lime Village. The frequent lighting led to significant fire weather concerns (red flag conditions due to lightning) during the thunderstorm event.

A favorable setup for strong thunderstorms over parts of the Alaska Interior and down across the Middle Kuskokwim Valley took shape during the afternoon and evening of 6/17. Very warm temperatures in the 70s and 80s, dew points in the 50s, and a shortwave trough moving near the Alaska Range from Southcentral Alaska contributed to moderate instability and an overall environment conducive to intense thunderstorms. Thunderstorms with frequent lighting first developed over the western Interior on the afternoon of 6/17, then moved south due to northerly steering flow into parts of the Kuskokwim Valley during the afternoon and evening hours late in the day. The GLD lightning feed detected extremely frequent lighting with these thunderstorms, supporting convective-driven red flag conditions across much of the Middle Kuskokwim Valley.