| 13 May 2026
Mobile weather radar to provide intelligence on wildfire hazards
Abstract. Extreme wildfire behaviour is increasingly associated with deep pyro-convection and pyro-cumulonimbus (pyroCb) development, posing challenges for both scientific understanding and operational wildfire management. Existing wildfire intelligence relies on a combination of aerial observations, satellite remote sensing, numerical weather prediction, and in-situ measurements, which can be limited in resolving rapidly evolving plume dynamics and near-fire wind changes. Portable weather radars represent a promising observational approach by providing high-resolution measurements of plume structure, kinematics, and microphysical properties, together with conventional radar products such as precipitation and outflow detection. However, their role within wildfire intelligence frameworks remains relatively unexplored.
In this study, we review two decades of portable radar observations of wildfires and prescribed burns and present new analyses from a recent deployment of a mobile dual-polarization X-band radar during an extreme wildfire in Eastern Australia. Building on these observations, we introduce a set of radar-derived diagnostics relevant to wildfire intelligence, including plume depth evolution, signatures of pyro-convective dynamics, detection of low-level wind changes, and indicators associated with transitions from pyro-cumulus to deep convection. These diagnostics complement existing satellite and modelling approaches by providing information on processes that are not directly observable from current operational platforms.
Using a Technology Readiness Level (TRL) framework, we assess the maturity of portable radar applications for wildfire monitoring. While fundamental aspects of pyrometeor scattering remain at low readiness (TRL 1–3), repeated field deployments indicate increasing maturity of plume observations (TRL 4–5), with some diagnostic products approaching pre-operational capability. These findings suggest that further progress will depend not only on technical development but also on practical considerations such as deployment logistics, integration with existing systems, and operational evaluation. Overall, portable weather radar may provide an additional component of future multi-sensor wildfire intelligence systems, helping to bridge part of the observational gap between satellite remote sensing and fireground measurements while improving understanding of fire–atmosphere interactions.
Competing interests: At least one of the (co-)authors is a member of the editorial board of Natural Hazards and Earth System Sciences.
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