TRUCKEE/TAHOE - Lighting struck the region 74 times Tuesday evening with the season's first thunder storm, the U.S. Forest Service announced Wednesday.
The thunderheads brought rain, hail and lighting to the eastern part of Tahoe National Forest, and stretched as far south as Mono County, staying generally east of the crest, according to the National Weather Service in Reno, and that pattern is expected to continue throughout the week.
"We did have a couple of fire starts yesterday but because it rained on them they were contained," said Dawn Fishler, a meteorologist with the weather service in Reno. "Because the storms were wet it hasn't been as dangerous."
Joanne Roubique, district ranger in the Truckee station of Tahoe National Forest, said no wildfires ignited from the storm.
"Fuels are still relatively moist - it's still possible something could show smoke in the next day or two - but we don't expect anything dramatic," Roubique said.
Sometimes lighting strikes in relatively wet conditions can smolder for days before building up enough heat to show smoke, Roubique said, so forest service fire prevention teams are out patrolling just in case, Roubique said.
So far reported rain totals from Tuesday's showers have ranged from one-tenth of an inch to three-tenths, Fishler said, a descent amount considering the generally low moisture content of the system.
For today and Friday, temperatures, winds and weather patterns could look much the same as Tuesday and Wednesday, Fishler said, with thunderstorms forming along the eastern Sierra, but extending as far north as Lassen County.
In Carson, temperatures will see highs around 90 for the next few days with a chance of storms.
Lows were expected to be in the mid to upper 50s throughout the rest of this week.