Why "Thunderstorms" in California contain little lightning and Thunder compared to other places? (Crescent City: live in)

[citizensadvocate]

We had an interesting two years in terms of weather in California. Probably due to El Nino and La Nina and an interesting summer with heavy monsoonal moisture that makes it feel like the east coast with humidity, clouds, and rain sometimes with lightning and thunder.

In other parts of the country when the weather report says thunderstorms it means thunder lightning, lots of them, and pouring rain. it appears thunderstorms in CA seems whimpy. We are lucky if we see one lightning bolt or thunderclap an hour. Its fascinating when we get a storm with a thunderclap every 15 minutes which happened a couple of times this summer and a few more times this year in SoCal. I noticed there are times when there is a "severe thunderstorm warning"(happened quite a few times this year) in the area by the NWS which causes our weather news stations and our smart phones, if its set with warning system alerts, to go crazy. Yet despite the thunderstorm warning there isn't a lot of lightning and thunder and it appears the rain and hail isn't too powerful either. Recently I went to Kansas city recently and a thunderstorm there means a great light show.

[payutenyodagimas]

you answered your question already. thunderstorms = thunder/lightning + pouring rain


you don't have pouring rain to make the equation or just plain rain.

[nightlysparrow]

The Pacific Ocean is usually too cold, and the air is too dry.

[cb73]

Originally Posted by nightlysparrow

The Pacific Ocean is usually too cold, and the air is too dry.

You forgot that California is just too special.

[GSR13]

Originally Posted by nightlysparrow

The Pacific Ocean is usually too cold, and the air is too dry.

This.

[Ruth4Truth]

Originally Posted by nightlysparrow

The Pacific Ocean is usually too cold, and the air is too dry.

That's right; the atmospheric conditions aren't there, to give rise to thunder and lightning much.

[Mr5150]

We get plenty of thunderstorms in my area with flashes and thunder every couple of minutes. But then I don't live in LA or the Bay Area where such things are not common. Our thunderstorms originate in the high country and work their way west to lower elevations in the Summer. In the spring and fall they are just part of the storm systems as the systems move east. When I lived on the coast thunder and lightning storms were rare. In eastern CA the weather is more interesting.

In the winter we'll get thunder snow. Yes it will be snowing and then flash and thunder.

I was in Texas a few weeks ago to visit the grandkids and a Texas thunderstorm came about. It was practically demonic with lightning flashes occurring four to five times a second. Then it dumped a few inches of warm rain. Not as much thunder as one would expect.

[citizensadvocate]

I do notice the mountains get more rain/storms due to the uprising effect. Thunder snow is also an interesting thing to watch,

Though what is interesting is that while california does get less rain and storms that other places. thunderstorms or towering culunimbus clouds aka thunderheads do occur in western California from time to time when a cold front passes and the atmosphere becomes unstable. Usually during late winter and early spring. They do bring the characteristics of a full fledged thunderstorm everywhere else sometimes even bringing quarter sized hail. Though despite this these storms usually contain very little in the form of lightning and thunder even when a severe thunderstorm warning has been issued. Often just one or two claps when it goes through an area. Often we can barely detect it.

One exception is when tropical storm reminiments pass through here usually late summer or fall. These are the ones that bring frequent lightning. As in one every minute.

[NoMoreSnowForMe]

I don't know anything about how weather works, but good thunder and lightening storms seem to come with humidity - at least where I've lived with good storms were places with humidity. This does include Crescent City, CA, which I recently moved from - I was there for a couple years.

But, even those were nothing like the storms I experienced when I lived in TN. I used to love to sit on the porch and as the barometric pressure changed, you'd see the lightening bugs all of a sudden all fly up into the trees, and then the storm would hit. Really magical.