Lightning storms expected to continue today

Afternoon lightning storms which set the 30-acre Faye-Luther fire on Jobs Peak Friday were also responsible for the 6,000-acre Linehan blaze above eastern Carson City on Monday.

Sierra Front Wildfire Cooperators were able to focus on the Faye-Luther fire over the weekend and had it out 6 p.m. Monday, just in time to turn their attention to the two large brush fires which merged in Mound House.

In all, 20 fires were reported on Monday. None of those reports turned into a working fire in Douglas County, according to a spokeswoman for the Sierra Front Interagency Dispatch. Several lightning strikes were reported hitting the Pine Nut Mountains at 2 p.m. Tuesday.

A red flag warning was issued by the National Weather Service on Tuesday as the possibility of more thunderstorms threatened. Even more storms are predicted for today, according to Weather Service Specialist Rudy Cruz.

"We're seeing an upper air disturbance rotating around the high pressure system," Cruz said. "The forecast indicates numerous showers, with an increase of thunderstorm activity on Wednesday."

That forecast means more of the dry lightning that set off the Linehan and Faye-Luther fires.

Bureau of Land Management Public Information Officer Carla North confirmed that the prospect of more lightning has firefighters calling in a top level fire management team to help spot and douse fires before they become a danger.

"If we get any additional fires, it will help keep them down," she said.

More than 300 firefighters were battling the Linehan blaze on Tuesday after a long night of watching the fire march across the mountains north of Carson.

Some Mound House residents were allowed back into their homes on Tuesday after many were asked to evacuate on Monday.

However, the weather poses a challenge.

"The red flag warning means the weather is going to get hotter and drier," North said. "More storms with lightning strikes mean winds can pick up and shift. That happened Monday afternoon. The winds were normally from the southwest, but about 4 p.m. they started moving north.

Cruz said thunderstorm weather may slow down a little after today.

"Right now, it looks like there's a chance for thunderstorms for Thursday and then a slight chance on Friday," he said. "There might be some kind of a break over the weekend, but it will be back early next week."

High temperatures dominated Carson Valley over the weekend with Minden weather watcher Stan Kapler reporting 104-degree days for Friday, Saturday and Monday.