Los Angeles Times. Rare lightning storms threaten California after 'wild night' sparks multiple Bay Area fires. There's an elevated risk of fire danger across wide swaths of California because of the risk of lightning. SAN FRANCISCO, CA - AUGUST 16: A bolt of lightning strikes behind the north tower of the Golden Gate Bridge, Monday, Aug., 17, 2020, in a view from San Francisco. SAN FRANCISCO, CA - AUGUST 16: Lightning appears to drop from the span of Bay Bridge as a storm sweeps across the San Francisco Bay Area, Sunday morning, … (Karl Mondon/Bay Area News Group) Top coverage. Lightning in San Francisco Bay Area. Lightning storms hit the Bay Area and Monterey Bay region Sunday morning. NOAA.