Climate service spots thunderstorms 200 miles off coast from San Francisco
The National Weather Service shared a satellite loop Tuesday afternoon showing thunderstorms 200 miles offshore from the San Francisco Bay Area.
Storm activity is pushing north and is not expected to affect the region on Tuesday, the weather service said, but there is little risk of thunderstorms in the Bay Area on Thursday.
“It’s part of the same large-scale moisture system that comes in from the south and is directed north because of that high pressure system parked in Nevada-Utah,” said Jeff Lorber, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service’s Bay Area office. “There’s also a small trough off the coast of Northern California. That moisture is channeled south-north between these two systems.”
OK Weather Watchers, does anyone notice the thunderstorms ⛈ ~ 200 miles offshore? Here is a satellite loop pointing the thunderstorms north. No effects on the country are currently expected. #cawx pic.twitter.com/EfpBNedAVs
– NWS Bay Area (@NWSBayArea) September 7, 2021
The highest likelihood of storm activity in the Bay Area on Thursday is in the far North Bay in Napa and Sonoma counties.
Lorber said the odds were 15 to 20% on Tuesday night.
“The biggest opportunity right now is over North Bay,” he said. “It’s still far out. We’ll have a better idea tomorrow. As of now, the threat elsewhere[outsidetheNorthBay”isprettylimited”[outsidetheNorthBay”[außerhalbderNordbucht”ziemlichbegrenzt”[outsidetheNorthBay”
Any lightning that strikes is likely to be dry and rain that falls could evaporate before it hits the ground.
Although the likelihood of a lightning strike is small, the risk is high as a strike could spark wildfire. California has experienced two consecutive dry winters and the vegetation is parched and flammable.
The high pressure that has driven temperatures up in the last few days will cause another hot day on Wednesday, the weather service said. Temperatures on the coast will be in the 60s and 70s, while the higher inland temperatures will rise to 105 in the 90s.
Temperatures are expected to drop on Thursday when the ocean layer returns and the upper level moisture reaches the region.
