The National Weather Service recorded more than 60 lightning strikes over a matter of hours as rain doused northern Ventura County on Aug. 11.
Warm, humid air moved through the area, bringing a few showers and some relatively quick downpours in mountain spots near Lockwood Valley. In all, 63 lightning strikes were reported in Ventura County and 47 in neighboring Santa Barbara County on Tuesday, said Devin Black, a meteorologist at the National Weather Service in Oxnard.
While much of the region remained dry, periods of intense rainfall was recorded in some spots, Black said. A potential for thunderstorms and showers was expected through Aug. 12.
Climatologist William Patzert called that many lightning strikes rare in Ventura County, saying it could
happen episodically. In the summer, surges of monsoonal moisture can increase the probability of pop-up storms, which generally show up in higher altitudes, he said. A downpour can drench an area, and leave one right next door dry.
"They're hard to predict," said Patzert, formerly with NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena.
Lightning also can happen with winter storms. Those are cold systems, and in Southern California, they can trigger isolated thunderstorms and coastal lightning. Winter lightning typically happens along the coast and summer lightning shows up inland, especially in the local mountains, he said.
In this case, after weeks of hot termperatures, the high pressure system over much of the region shifted east, allowing moist air from the south to move into the area.
Black said to expect temperatures to cool slightly for a couple days. But any relief likely wouldn't last long. Temperatures are expected to start to climb again this weekend or early next week.
August and September are typically the area's two hottest months, though this year also brought a brutal July, Patzert said. It might be just the beginning, with September generally the month with the most heat waves, he said.
Cheri Carlson covers the environment for the Ventura County Star. Reach her at cheri.carlson@vcstar.com.
This article originally appeared on Ventura County Star: Summer storm brings dozens of lightning strikes in Ventura County
