Monday, June 10, 2013

[californiadisasters] Hundreds of Lightning Bolts Zap North Bay Area



Hundreds of lightning bolts zap North Bay

Will Kane | San Francisco Chronicle
Updated 9:41 am, Monday, June 10, 2013
(06-10) 08:53 PDT ST. HELENA -- Nearly 400 lightning strikes were recorded early Monday in the North Bay, the National Weather Service said.

"It was quite a lot," said Mark Strudley, a hydrologist with the service.

The unsettled weather was the product of a low-pressure system that dragged moisture up from the south, forecasters said.

The moisture mixed with drier air 15,000 feet over the North Bay, creating an electric charge that released hundreds of bolts of lightning, said Warren Blier, a science officer with the National Weather Service.

"Moisture and instability is being brought in at the mid-levels of the atmosphere," Blier said. "As (the low pressure) takes that moist air and lifts it up, lightning starts developing."

Lightning was observed from St. Helena to Fort Bragg, the weather service said.

Only trace amounts of rain fell across the region. That's bad news, because dry lightning is notorious for starting wildfires. At least one small grass fire was reported near Vacaville.

"These thunderstorms are producing rain," Blier said. "They're just so high up and the air is so dry in between that most of the rain evaporates before it reaches the ground."

The storm clouds are expected to stay over the Bay Area Monday evening, forecasters said.

Source: http://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/400-bolts-of-lighting-zap-North-Bay-4591122.php



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