Lightning and ground-shaking thunderclaps struck the western Victor Valley on Thursday afternoon as rain fell in scattered patches.Just before 1 p.m., thunder could be heard in Victorville as a dark bank of clouds hung over Adelanto and Phelan.
Residents in central Victorville reported one thunderclap that was strong enough to rattle buildings and even set off a few car alarms. Phelan-based weather spotter said cloud-to-cloud lightning was responsible for the loud thunder. At the height of the storm Thursday afternoon, he said he was seeing lightning about once every minute outside his home.
"Currently, there's cloud-to-cloud lightening, which is fortunate, because cloud-to-ground lightning causes fires," Residentssaid just before 1 p.m.
the loud thunder is an indication that the storm is in very close proximity to the area.
"If you count the seconds between when you see the lightening and hear the thunder, and then divide by two, you can figure out how many miles away you are from the lightning,"
Despite the loud thunder and a few areas of short, intense downpour in the western parts of the valley, the storm brought little rain overall. Phelan received .02 inches of rain.
"It's really scattered," "If you happen to be under one of the cells, you'll see a lot of rain in a small amount of time."
light rain fell in Wrightwood on Thursday morning and rain was falling "pretty heavily" in Adelanto around 1 p.m. The intersection of Bellflower and Mojave roads flooded, and residents fled for the cover of umbrellas.
The National Weather Service's forecast for Victorville was predicting a 40 percent chance of rain Thursday afternoon, and a 30 percent chance Thursday night. Chances will drop to 20 percent on Friday. Skies are expected to clear Friday night.