Lightning strikes cause damage in Bay Area; weather should ease up by afternoon

Lightning and the rare appearance of rain showers peppered the Bay Area throughout the night and by early Friday morning, some were checking out the damage caused by the flashing streaks in the sky.

For example, a lightning strike hit a tree in Rohnert Park, sending branches flying into cars and onto nearby homes.

At one home, a branch went right through the windshield of Efrin Vega's car. No one was hurt, but Vega said the sound of trees crashing on wood and metal sounded like an explosion. 

"Everything just blew up," he said. 

PG&E crews were out Friday morning repairing power lines that were also taken down.

Lightning was also spotted from the San Francisco International Airport camera just after 4 a.m. on Friday. 

MORE: Fire-season fatigued North Bay residents face new threats from lightning

The weather had fire crews on high alert to those who are already weary with battling blazes around the state. 

"We're at a point now where we now have almost two million acres burning and it's requiring an extremely large firefighting force," Marin County Fire Battalion Chief Jeremey Pierce.

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

National Weather Service models showed that on Friday morning, lightning was also spotted in the Sacramento valley, along I-80 in Vallejo and Fairfield, and some areas near Martinez. 

Forecasters say the lightning and drizzle should push out by 9 a.m. and the red flag warning will end at 11 a.m.

The afternoon should be drier, cool and cloudy.