A series of lightning storms swept through the region starting early Tuesday, waking up Rogue Valley residents and keeping firefighters busy looking for new fires.
Loud thunder rumbled Ashland-area homes just after 4 AM, accompanied by brief but heavy rain.
Oregon Department of Forestry reports more than a dozen fires on state-protected land in the Southwest Oregon District; maps show lightning strikes by the fistful by the middle of the day Tuesday. None of the new fires measured as much as an acre in size.
A red flag warning issued by the National Weather Service--high temperatures, high winds, low humidities--was set to remain in effect in Curry, Josephine, Jackson, Klamath, and Douglas Counties in Oregon and Siskiyou County in California until 11 PM Tuesday.
Of those, only Siskiyou County is designated for another red flag warning, Wednesday 2 PM to 10 PM. Much of the heaviest thunderstorm activity had moved south of the state line by Tuesday afternoon.
California fire agencies reported new lightning fires in the Klamathand Shasta-Trinity National Forests, none bigger than two acres.
