More thunderstorms forecast for Sacramento area following ‘insane’ storm

Sacramento-area residents can expect more isolated thunderstorms Wednesday and Thursday, the National Weather Service said.

The forecast of returning thunderstorms follows an intense “isolated” storm that rolled through parts of the Sacramento area Tuesday evening.

A video from Davis posted to Facebook by US Stormwatch called it “one of the most insane thunderstorms I’ve ever witnessed.”

Users on Reddit described the storm as sudden, with one person describing the hard rainfall as “biblical.”

Although a sudden thunderstorm of that intensity is not unheard of in the Sacramento Valley, it is not something that’s common in spring, the agency said.

“The closer we get to summer, the less likely (from a climatological perspective) it is that we get storms in northern California compared to the winter where the storms are more common,” meteorologists said. “However, we do often still see storms in May, including thunderstorms. ...Thunderstorms do often produce sudden but brief heavy rain in Sacramento.”

Meteorologist Jacob Spender with the National Weather Service in Sacramento said they did see that particular weather event “pop up on radar,” as it rolled through.

Tuesday’s scattered storms dropped anywhere from a half inch to 1.5 inches of rain across Northern California, with the higher totals in Chico, the foothills and the Sierra Nevada.

Spender said cooler air from a low pressure system is mixing with warmer air, “helping fuel thunderstorms.”

More thunderstorms are most likely until 8 p.m. Wednesday, May 27, and again from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Thursday, May 28, the agency said.

Thunderstorm chances are highest in the Sierra Nevada, which may see snow at elevations as low as 6,000 feet.

But Sacramento temperatures are expected to rebound to the 80s and up to 90 degrees on Sunday, the agency said.

What to do in a thunderstorm

No place outside is safe during a thunderstorm, the National Weather Service advised. If you hear thunder, lightning is close enough to strike you.

When you hear thunder, move immediately to a secure shelter or an enclosed vehicle with the windows up, the agency said. Stay there until at least 30 minutes you hear the last sound of thunder.

Here are indoor lightning safety tips from the agency:

• Stay off corded phones, computers and other electrical equipment that put you in direct contact with electricity.
• Avoid plumbing, including sinks, baths and faucets.
• Stay away from windows and doors, and stay off porches.
• Do not lie on concrete floors, and do not lean against concrete walls.

If you cannot find shelter during a thunderstorm, follow these tips:

• Immediately get off elevated areas such as hills, mountain ridges or peaks
• Never lie flat on the ground
• Never shelter under an isolated tree
• Never use a cliff or rocky overhang for shelter
• Immediately get out and away from ponds, lakes and other bodies of water
• Stay away from objects that conduct electricity (barbed wire fences, power lines, windmills, etc.)