Bay Area zapped by 110 confirmed lightning strikes

Lightning strikes in Sonoma, Santa Clara counties

The National Weather Service says as of 9:45 p.m. on Thursday there were eight confirmed lightning strikes that touched down in Sonoma County and one over northeast Santa Clara County. This video is from SFO and Santa Rosa

SAN FRANCISCO - A weather system affecting northwest California brought dry lightning and blustery winds, unleashing a risk of new wildfires as thousands of firefighters have been making headway against existing blazes.

There were more than 1,100 "cloud to ground strikes" in California, the National Weather Service said. In the Bay Area, there were 110 confirmed strikes, the NWS said. The bolts began appearing Thursday night and continued into Friday.

Video showed flashes of white in the purple sky over San Francisco International Airport and Santa Rosa.

"Too many cloud to cloud flashes to count," the weather service said.

There were some reports of damage including a tree that feel on a house and two cars in Rohnert Park.

Cal Fire said that firefighters were diverted from the Caldor Fire to fight multiple lightning fires late Thursday night throughout El Dorado County.

Forecasters had said the lightning and drizzle should clear up by about 9 a.m. on Friday. A red flag warning was lifted a few hours earlier than the NWS had initially planned.

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