Bizarre Electrical Storms hit California and New Zealand

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) In less than a day, an electrical storm unleashed nearly 8,000 lightning strikes that set more than 800 wildfires across Northern California — a RARE example of "dry lightning" that brought little or no rain but plenty of sparks to the state's parched forests and grasslands.

HOT SPOTS: A map from MetService shows thousands of lightning strikes in the 24-hours to 8am.