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The skies over the Bay Area in California were lit up early Sunday as severe storms caused numerous lightning bolts that eventually sparked new bushfires.
The Monterey National Weather Service (NWS) office had warned that thunderstorms producing “frequent lightning” were moving along the state’s central coast, triggering severe thunderstorm warnings for the area.
“Aside from lightning, the group of severe thunderstorms generate extremely strong and erratic wind gusts that can cause downed trees, power lines and other structural damage as well as difficulty in driving,” forecasters say said.
FIRE TORNADO WARNING REACHES CALIFORNIA WHEN WILD FIRE EXPLODES IN ‘EXTREMELY HAZARDOUS’ CONDITIONS NORTH OF TAHOE
NWS forecaster Drew Peterson told SF Gate that hundreds of lightning strikes were recorded before 5 a.m. as storms roared in the area.
Lightning crosses the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge as a storm passes over Oakland, Calif. On Sunday, August 16, 2020. Numerous lightning strikes early Sunday sparked brush fires across the region.
(AP Photo / Noah Berger)
“We are seeing continuous lightning throughout the Bay Area, especially on the west side, not as much on the east side,” he told the outlet.
A rare lightning storm crackles over Mitchell’s Cove in Santa Cruz, California around 3 a.m. on Sunday, August 16, 2020.
(Shmuel Thaler / The Santa Cruz Sentry via AP)
Many have taken to social media to show off the flashing lightning in the sky.
Some have described the scene along the coast as “wild”.
Daniel Swain, a climatologist at UCLA and the National Center for Atmospheric Research, tweeted Sunday morning that it was a “wild night” in the Bay Area.
“This is probably the most prevalent and violent summer thunderstorm event in memory for the Bay Area, and it’s also one of the hottest nights in years,” he said. he tweeted.
Lightning from thunderstorms not only woke people up in the middle of the night, but also caused new problems for already busy firefighters.
CALIFORNIA BLACKOUTS 2 MILLION SWEATER PLUG IN THE STATE OF HEAT
The Santa Clara de Cal Fire unit said on Twitter that since 3 a.m. across its territory, it has fought eight to 10 different fires.
“Maybe later this morning when the sun rises”, the unit tweeted.
Record heat with triple-digit temperatures and low humidity this week across California has left firefighters busy trying to contain fires across the state.
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A red flag warning was issued for the San Francisco Bay Area and other parts of central California until Sunday morning due to critical fire conditions.
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The Marin County Fire Department said firefighters were responding to “many lightning strikes” and “many small lightning fires.”
“Please call 911 only if you see a visible light,” the the agency said.
Forecasters have said that after an “extremely busy night” the chances of a thunderstorm will continue until Sunday and Monday morning.
Besides lightning, gusty winds of 60 to 75 mph have also been reported.
“Due to the very frequent lightning strike, expect fires to start where lightning strikes, especially given the particularly dry vegetation and the mass of hot, dry air near the surface below it. ‘high humidity at altitude,’ the forecasting office said.
A thunderstorm rolling from the central coast to inland southern California on Saturday brought dry lightning bolts that triggered several small flames, wind and flash flooding across the high desert.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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