Several boats sinks in Kaweah due to continuous thunderstorms and lightning
Early Wednesday morning, areas of Tulare and Kern counties were hit by a storm system that brought with it lightning, thunder, wind, and rain.
Multiple boats were sunk and power was knocked out on Kaweah Lake as a result of the storm. Across from the Kaweah Marina, dozens of other vessels were flung aside and washed ashore. While boat owners go to the bottom of the lake to collect their vessels, authorities are considering shutting the lake.
This “severe thunderstorm” hit east Kern County first, then Tulare, and finally Visalia.
Storms in the area are severe enough to generate hail the size of nickels and wind gusts of about 40 miles per hour, according to a warning issued by the National Weather Service in Hanford. Regular lightning strikes are being generated by the majority of these storms.
After the storm, the risk of wildfires will rise. Damage assessments will be made hourly by fire workers in national parks and forests.
Within seconds of each other, one resident in Kern County claimed to have seen up to 15 lightning bolts.
According to a 3:30 a.m. report from the Kern County Fire Department, many brush fires were being battled.
This lightning-sparked blaze, known as the SQF Complex Fire, lasted for more than five months and burnt across a total of 174,000 acres of the Sequoia National Forest in 2020.
There was a break in the rain at 5:30 a.m. in the Visalia region.
The calmer, more June-like weather was predicted to begin on Thursday.
On Wednesday, monsoonal precipitation was drawn northward into Southern California by a low-pressure system off the coast.
Lightning bolts and short downpours were released by the storms in a show of weather not usually seen in June.
As exceptionally heavy cells emerged over different locations, forecasters released supplementary weather bulletins.
Rainfall was mostly mild, although a cell over the San Gabriel Mountains in Los Angeles County dropped about an inch of rain, according to the National Weather Service.
Lightening caused widespread fear of flames in the drought-stricken area, and vacationers were urged to keep a watchful eye on the forecast while spending time at the beach.