Red Flag Warning Issued In South Bay As Lightning Strikes SoCal

SOUTH BAY, CA — A fire weather watch was upgraded Thursday to a red flag warning in the eastern half of Santa Clara County as officials monitored the possibility of an approaching storm with the potential to produce dry lightning.

The red flag warning was slated to be in effect from 5 p.m. Thursday through 11 a.m. Friday, the National Weather Service said in its Thursday morning forecast. The North Bay mountains and valleys, East Bay hills and valleys and Diablo Range were among the areas of concern.

Officials were most concerned about the possibility that the storm could produce dry lightning with little rain. Gusty, erratic winds are also possible, meaning that any fires sparked could quickly spread.

A red flag warning has been issued for today, Thursday September 9th at 5pm, through 11am Friday September 10th. For more updates, and to stay #WeatherAware, follow along as we monitor this event. #BayArea #CAwx #Firewx pic.twitter.com/LPM25ImQZC
— NWS Bay Area (@NWSBayArea) September 9, 2021

The red flag warning was issued hours after lightning was reported in the waters near the Channel Islands in Southern California.

The likelihood of lightning in the Bay Area remained low, weather officials said, but the consequences could be big. California is in the midst of its driest year ever, according to The Weather Channel.

The forecast indicated as of Thursday morning that lightning would be more likely to land in the North Bay than the East Bay but could occur as far south as San Benito County, according to the weather service.

"This will be watched closely," the weather service said.

Fortunately, the storm appeared to be wetter than previously thought, officials said. Rainfall could offset any fire threat posed by possible lightning strikes.

The storm was expected to start heading east on Friday.

Here is one of the forecast models showing the potential for convection over portions of the Bay Area and Central Coast from late afternoon into early Friday morning. Main threat will be t-storms producing dry lightning with little to no rainfall. #CAwx #BayAreaWX pic.twitter.com/n6VaGfUkpV
— NWS Bay Area (@NWSBayArea) September 9, 2021