Dann Cianca

I shared this story briefly on air this morning after our question of the day, which was, "have you ever been struck by lightning?"

Back in the summer of 2020, my wife Erika and I were hiking in the Eastern Sierra Nevada. It was a sunny day at first, but clouds quickly built over the crest. Soon, distant thunder could be heard. We high-tailed it down the mountain, but before we were even half-way down, one storm was on top of us. We were hurrying, so it was surprising that in a somewhat exposed area, our dog Jonas suddenly laid flat on the trail. We both crouched to check on him when the entire world around us flashed to a blinding white light. The oddest thing was the noise. At the flash, it sounded as if a hole was ripped in the universe right behind my head--an intense tearing noise that built into a chest-thumping boom.
We finished our descent at a quicker pace and the hiker that followed reported that he had seen the bolt hit next to the trail, just in front of him. Did Saint Jonas save us that day? He may have.

(first pic is from last night's belly scratchin' sesh, second pic is from our fateful day in the Sierra before the clouds chased us down the mountain)

Scientists say climate change is fueling larger, more destructive hailstorms, with warmer temperatures creating the perfect conditions for massive ice chunks that can devastate homes, crops, and vehicles in minutes.

Find out why researchers say the worst hail events are becoming more common at the link in the comments.

Yesterday's drought update with this weekend's rainfall potential. While it won't be a drought-buster, it will help us from falling farther behind!