San Francisco Bay Area Dodges Weather Threat; Dozens Of Lightning Strikes Remain Offshore
SAN FRANCISCO (CBS SF) -- Weather radar screens lit up with dozens of lightning strikes early Tuesday, fortunately they were far offshore and not a threat to ignite wildfires across the San Francisco Bay Area.
A plume of monsoonal moisture had advanced up the California coast after dumping downpours and triggering lightning in the Los Angeles area on Monday.
There were fears that the weather front would bring similar conditions to the drought-stricken, tinder-dry hills of the Bay Area where scars still remain from the devastating lightning complex fire of Fall 2020 that burned nearly 2 million acres, claiming lives and destroying homes.
"In order to get any decent lightning over our area we typically need all of these factors to align just right with a robust plume of moisture coinciding with instability and lift," the national weather service said. "Given that the upper low that would provide such lift is too far south and the moisture plume is not as deep as models had previously suggested, it appears unlikely for any widespread thunderstorm/lightning activity over the area during this event."
That eased anxieties among local residents and firefighters.
The storm front also made it way up north along the Sierra and into the area where firefighters are battling the massive Dixie Fire. The burn zone grew by around 10,000 acres overnight to 208,206 acres and was just 23 percent contained.
A few light showers fell over the region, but not in levels that it would aid in the firefight.
The fire has destroyed at least 47 structures and was endangering another 10,721. The lightning-caused fire has burned at least 70 homes and some 2,000 residences were under evacuation order.