Thunder rolled from the North Valley to the South Valley as lightning lit up the sky. Action News cameras caught a bolt near Ashlan Avenue and Fresno Street.
Heavy rain pounded many parts of the Valley. Video from Blackstone and Dakota avenues in Central Fresno showed the rain coming down hard earlier Saturday.
The storm caused several power outages throughout the Valley, with the largest in Fresno. Nearly 72,000 PG&E customers in West, Central and North Fresno, and Kerman were still without electricity Saturday night, including the area at Ashlan Avenue and Fresno Street. The outages started at about 5:15 p.m. and turned off several traffic lights throughout town, causing congestion at major intersections. PG&E did not have an estimated time when power would be restored.
The storm also forced the Fresno Grizzlies to postpone Saturday's game against the El Paso Chihuahuas. The lightning started right after the players took the field at Chukchansi Park. The teams are now planning a doubleheader for Sunday afternoon.
It's still too early say for certain, but
firefighters say lightning is likely the reason why dozens of fires started in the area. Lightning rippled across the sky as the heavy storm moved through the Fresno area. Fires sparked by lightning were the first to impact first responders.
