California, 2000

Lightning Strikes in California, August 2, 2000

August 2, 2000 · NWS SGX · 3 events in 3 counties and zones

Lightning knocked out power and started several fires in the High Desert. About 17,000 customers were affected briefly.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 3 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. Tap one for its entry below.

  • Tornadoes
  • Tropical storms and surge
  • Floods
  • Wind
  • Hail
  • Winter weather
  • Heat and drought
  • Cold
  • Fire, smoke and dust
  • Marine and coastal
  • Other

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The toll

Deaths
0
Injuries
0
Property damage
$50,000
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
3

Deaths and injuries are direct and indirect together, as the offices filed them. Damage is property and crops in the dollars of the year, not adjusted for inflation, and only where an office estimated it.

What happened

The episode as NWS SGX wrote it up.

Lightning knocked out power and started several fires in the High Desert. About 17,000 customers were affected briefly. Traffic signals were knocked out in Hesperia and a garage and two cars were destroyed by a fire started from a lightning strike on the nearby power pole. Several small fires were also started by lightning strikes in the back country areas near Lake Arrowhead, Big Bear Lake, and Silverwood. Lightning strikes on the beach and in the water along the south San Diego County coast, forced lifeguards to close the beaches briefly.

The radar

The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

3 lightning. Local standard time, as filed.

Lightning, Riverside

When
August 2, 1:00 PM PST to 1:30 PM PST
Where
Riverside County, Hemet
Reported by
NEWSPAPER
Coordinates
33.744, -115.994 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Lightning, San Bernardino

When
August 2, 1:08 PM PST to 1:40 PM PST
Where
San Bernardino County, Hesperia
Property damage
$50,000
Reported by
NEWSPAPER
Coordinates
34.841, -116.178 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Lightning, San Diego

When
August 2, 1:30 PM PST to 1:50 PM PST
Where
San Diego County, Coronado
Reported by
NEWSPAPER
Coordinates
33.028, -116.770 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

What these are

Lightning
A lightning strike that killed, injured or caused damage.

After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.

The same day elsewhere

More

Every storm in California in 2000Every state in 2000This day in weather historyWarnings in California, August 2000

Sources

NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database, compiled from the National Weather Service’s monthly Storm Data. Complete through 2026-06; NCEI adds each month about 75 days after it ends and revises past years a few times a year. Rebuilt 2026-09-24. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 5155037, 5155036, 5155038.