5,000 lightning strikes in Sierra and Reno area; Scattered thunderstorms in forecast

There were over 5,000 lightning strikes in the Sierra and Western Nevada on Saturday, many of those causing small fires. Those areas are being monitored. Mendocino County has seven lightning caused fires currently burning and Humboldt county has over 70 fires also caused by lightning.

The Shasta-Trinity National Forest received 440 lightning strikes in the last few days that have resulted in over 60 fires. The largest of these fires is the Rail Fire near the town of Hayfork. Numerous fires around the towns of Hyampom, Trinity Pines, and small communities outside Hayfork have resulted in the County Sheriff issuing mandatory evacuations since they have been rapidly growing.

An overview of lightning caused fires:

Fork Complex (30 fires) near Hayfork has burned 23,400 Acres
River Complex in Shasta-Trinity has burned 3,182 Acres
Cabin Fire in the Sequoia National Forest has burned 2,619 Acres
Mad River Complex near Eureka has burned 5,246 Acres
Shf July lightning in Shasta-Trinity has burned 1,000 Acres

Around Lake Tahoe there is a 40% chance of rain with widely scattered thunderstorms on Sunday and a 20% chance on Tuesday.

Forecast from the National Weather Service:

Sunday: Scattered showers and thunderstorms, mainly after 11am. Partly sunny, with a high near 77. West wind 5 to 10 mph. Chance of precipitation is 40%.

Sunday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 50. West wind 5 to 10 mph becoming light in the evening.

Monday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 78. Light southwest wind becoming west 5 to 10 mph in the afternoon.

Monday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 50. Southwest wind 5 to 10 mph becoming light west in the evening. Winds could gust as high as 20 mph.

Tuesday: A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms after 1pm. Mostly sunny, with a high near 78. Light southwest wind increasing to 5 to 10 mph in the afternoon.

Tuesday Night: A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms before 9pm. Partly cloudy, with a low around 49.

Wednesday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 76.

Wednesday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 47.

Thursday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 79.

Thursday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 49.

Friday: A slight chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly sunny, with a high near 75.

Friday Night: A slight chance of showers and thunderstorms. Partly cloudy, with a low around 46.

Saturday: A slight chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly sunny, with a high near 73.