California Experienced 7,863 Lightning Strikes Over the Past Two Days
A wild weekend of weather dominated the conversation in Northern California, with a record heatwave sweeping through the area along with booming thunder, lightning strikes and a “firenado.” As the photos of the incredible strikes of lightning have begun to surface online, so have the numbers from the rare storm, including nearly 8,000 lightning strikes over a 48-hour span.
The Bureau of Land Management released its maps of lightning strikes throughout the state showing an intense 2-day stretch of 7,863 bolts. Over the 24 hour stretch on Saturday, the strikes were mostly concentrated along the coast, hitting the Bay Area hard on Saturday night:
On Sunday, the thunderstorms moved inland, hitting the Bay Area, Sacramento, Napa and Redding, along with the Eastern Sierra:
The final count was 4,808 strikes on Saturday and 3,055 on Sunday. Photographers throughout Northern California were able to capture some rare photos of the lightning. Here are a few of the best:
