Analysis of lightning discharges activity within the territory of Buryatia in 2010-2016 based on WWLLN data

Thunderstorm activity is the main natural cause of forest fires. The development of new or modernization of existing systems for monitoring and forest fires forecasting requires the involvement of data on the spatial and temporal distribution of thunderstorms in monitorable forest areas. This article discusses the territory of the Republic of Buryatia (Russian Federation). The study of the spatial and temporal components of thunderstorm activity was carried out based on the World Wide Lightning Location Network (WWLLN) data. WWLLN data on thunderstorms locations for 2010-2016 were used. The network registers lightning discharges during the year. The thunderstorm season lasts from May to September. Archival WWLLN data for this period were selected. The resulting dataset allowed us to distinguish areas with different lightning activity. A high degree of spatial nonuniformity of thunderstorm activity in Buryatia was established. The number of lightning discharges begins to increase in May, the maximum is observed in July, and a recession occurs in August. Two daily maximum were revealed: the first maximum of number of lightning discharges is in the interval from 12 to o'clock and the second is about 19 o'clock of local time.