Weather Service Issues Lightning, Fire Warning For Bay Area Monday
SAN FRANCISCO (CBS SF) -- Lightning could pay a return visit to Northern California Monday evening, adding wildfire concerns in this drought year.
The National Weather Service issued an advisory that lightning is possible in the eastern parts of the Bay Area Monday night and very early Tuesday morning.
According to weather service officials, the threat is greatest specifically in the far eastern parts of Alameda, Contra Costa, Napa and Santa Clara counties.
YOUR WEATHER: Complete Weather Maps & Radar
WILDFIRES: Lightning Sparks 9 Fires Across California
Lightning is not common in the Bay Area, but there have been some in recent weeks, responsible for many of the state's wildfires this season, said Cal Fire spokeswoman Lynne Tolmachoff.
"Thunderstorms, when they build up, they look like they're brewing," Tolmachoff said. "And then what happens is they collapse on themselves and that will push erratic winds down and come out and if that hits the fire, it will push the fire out."
Weather service officials said that there is a low-pressure weather system hovering off the state coastline right now, which typically has created lightning strikes.