"Units from Cal Fire CZU San Mateo-Santa Cruz spent Thursday checking terrain in Mid County and South County regions for any spot fires that might have been ignited by thunderbolts from a storm that passed through the area late Wednesday and early Thursday. Cal Fire said the region experienced 173 lightning strikes within a 24 hour period, five of which were confirmed within the unit's coverage area of Santa Cruz and San Mateo counties."
"According to a map of the strikes shared by Cal Fire, three strikes occurred in the Santa Cruz Mountains southeast of the Forest of Nisene Marks State Park, another struck in the hills above Corralitos and a fifth was documented near Pinto Lake. Firefighters took off Thursday morning on ground-based patrols to investigate each location that was hit by the strikes and check for any signs of fire. A lightning reconnaissance flight was also scheduled to provide an aerial view of the areas."
"Rick Canepa, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service, explained that the storm was a rare setup in which a low pressure system in the upper levels of the atmosphere off the coast met a stream of moisture that was moving upward from tropical regions in the south, and it created significant instability. "The merging of the two resulted in the showers and the thunderstorms that we saw across the area," said Canepa."
A strong weather system brought rain, rolling thunder and extensive lightning to the Central Coast, producing 173 strikes in 24 hours. Five strikes were confirmed within the Cal Fire CZU coverage area spanning Santa Cruz and San Mateo counties. Strike locations included the Santa Cruz Mountains southeast of the Forest of Nisene Marks State Park, hills above Corralitos, and near Pinto Lake. Cal Fire conducted ground patrols and scheduled an aerial lightning reconnaissance flight to inspect each strike location. All lightning strikes were checked and no fires were found. Meteorologists identified a rare setup of an upper-level low meeting tropical moisture, producing mostly wet thunderstorms that reduced wildfire risk.
Read at The Mercury News
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