Lightning show leaves residents without power

This week's lightning storm was more than just a show for the Central Coast. For some residents, it may have been a headache.

As many as 5,000 PG&E customers in the North County and Five Cities area lost power due to equipment struck by lightning Thursday night, PG&E spokesman Jeff Lewis said Friday.

“The lightning will strike whatever's sticking out,” Lewis said. “That includes power lines, and in some cases lightning, will blow the pole apart.”

Power was restored to most customers by noon Friday, with the remaining restored in the evening, Lewis said. Santa Maria was the hardest hit area, he added.

Although rains fell for most of the night, the California Highway Patrol in Santa Maria and San Luis Obispo did not report any weather-related traffic collisions.

However, officials remind motorists to be cautious when driving in the rain.

“Especially at this time of the year, people have to be very careful when any water hits the pavement - it's going to make the road slippery because of all the oil that's built up,” said CHP Officer Gus Lopez.

Santa Maria had .26 inches of rain and Nipomo had .08 inches, according to the National Weather Service. There were no figures available for Lompoc or the Santa Ynez Valley.

Although there was rain expected to fall on the Central Coast Thursday, KSBY meteorologist Dave Hovde said the storm system moving from the west was rather unusual.

“This is a rare system in a lot of ways,” Hovde said. “Rare in its atmospheric direction, rare because of the lightning.”

The rain came about because of heat combined with upper air instability, he said.

The storm was expected to pass over the region Friday night and clear up today and Sunday, he said.

Temperatures were expected to stay uniform throughout the Central Coast, according to the Weather Service and Hovde's forecast.

After Friday, temperatures were expected to be in the upper 60s to low 70s, partly cloudy, with little to no chance of rain until the end of next week, Hovde said.

Luis Gomez can be reached at 739-2218, or lgomez@santamariatimes.com

Oct. 14, 2006