DesertWeather.com blog » lightning

Rare Early June Thunderstorms

John — Fri, 05 Jun 2009 04:30:49 +0000

It was a rare event for early June. Dark skies, thunderstorms, cooler temperatures, and some rain mainly west of the valley. Here’s some information and a map showing the total number of lightning strikes as the results of this unstable air mass…

 RAINFALL STORM TOTAL SUMMARY...PRELIMINARY
 NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SAN DIEGO CA
 530 AM PDT THU JUN 4 2009

 BEGINNING:  1200 AM PDT WED JUN 3 2009
    ENDING:  1100 PM PDT WED JUN 3 2009

 ...RARE EARLY JUNE THUNDERSTORMS...

 UNSTABLE AIR ASSOCIATED WITH AN UPPER LEVEL LOW OFF THE COAST CAUSED
 ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS AND BRIEF SHOWERS OVER THE AREA ON WEDNESDAY.
 THE CELLS WERE VERY HIGH BASED AND MOVED VERY QUICKLY FROM SOUTHWEST
 TO NORTHEAST AT ABOUT 40 MPH. PRECIPITATION WAS ISOLATED AND MOSTLY
 LESS THAN ONE TENTH OF AN INCH...BUT A COUPLE OF PLACES GOT OVER ONE
 QUARTER OF AN INCH. HUNDREDS OF LIGHTNING STRIKES...SMALL HAIL...AND
 GUSTY WINDS WITH THE MOUNTAIN AND DESERT THUNDERSTORMS HAD THE
 GREATER IMPACT. A DOWNBURST NEAR LUCERNE VALLEY WAS MEASURED AT 52
 MPH. DOZENS OF FIRES WERE SET...ESPECIALLY IN SAN BERNARDINO
 COUNTY...AND A LEAST ONE FATALITY DUE TO LIGHTNING WAS REPORTED IN
 SAN BERNARDINO COUNTY.

Lightning Strikes 6/3/09

Click image for full size Source: National Weather Service (San Diego)

Local Storm Reports 6/3/09

John — Thu, 04 Jun 2009 04:33:18 +0000

 PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT...CORRECTED
 NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SAN DIEGO CA
 1001 PM PDT WED JUN 03 2009

 ..TIME...   ...EVENT...      ...CITY LOCATION...     ...LAT.LON...
 ..DATE...   ....MAG....      ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
             ..REMARKS..

 1100 AM     LIGHTNING        BIG BEAR CITY           34.27N 116.85W
 06/03/2009                   SAN BERNARDINO     CA   FIRE DEPT/RESCUE

             *** 1 FATAL *** A FEMALE DRIVER WAS KILLED WHEN LIGHTNING
             STRUCK A PINE TREE THAT FELL AND CRUSHED THE VEHICLE.

 1142 AM     DOWNBURST        4 SE LUCERNE VALLEY     34.40N 116.92W
 06/03/2009                   SAN BERNARDINO     CA   TRAINED SPOTTER 

             *** 1 INJ *** DOWNBURST THUNDERSTORM WINDS MEASURED GUST
             TO 52 MPH. TEMPERATURE FELL FROM 68 TO 55 DEGREES IN
             MINUTES. SMALL HAIL CAUSED MINOR FACIAL INJURY.

 1200 PM     LIGHTNING        CABAZON                 33.91N 116.77W
 06/03/2009                   RIVERSIDE          CA   FIRE DEPT/RESCUE

             *** 1 INJ *** A WOMAN SUFFERED MODERATE INJURIES FROM A
             LIGHTNING STRIKE.

 0500 PM     LIGHTNING        FONTANA                 34.10N 117.46W
 06/03/2009                   SAN BERNARDINO     CA   FIRE DEPT/RESCUE

             *** 1 FATAL *** A LIGHTNING STRUCK AND KILLED A WOMAN
             STANDING BENEATH A TREE.

Valley Lightning Show

John — Thu, 26 Jul 2007 19:05:05 +0000

Here are some photos I took, and a corresponding radar image at the height of its intensity, from last night’s late evening pop up thunderstorm north of I-10 between Thousand Palms and Indio. Check out the photo gallery for the whole collection

Composite radar image at 11:05pm 7/25/07