BY KAREN BOSSICK

The most ferocious lightning storms of the year unleashed themselves on southern Idaho Wednesday and Thursday.

Four storms passed through the Wood River Valley about 9 p.m. Wednesday evening and about 2:30, 4 and 8 a.m. Thursday.

They came soon after smoke from the California fires had cleared out, poising the possibility south-central Idaho could see some lightning fires of its own.

A meteorologist for the National Weather Service was unable to pinpoint how many lightning strikes hit the Sun Valley area, but various lightning strike maps show that plenty did.

Lynn Campion, who was instrumental in starting the 5B Restoration Coalition to help with rehabilitation efforts following the lightning-caused Beaver Creek Fire in 2013, said she counted 450 lightning strikes north towards Stanley between 2:30 and 3 a.m.

“I counted about one strike every four minutes for as long as I could watch,” she said. “Unless they got a lot of rain, it’s going to be a tough couple of days of hoping the Sawtooth Mountains stay safe!”

Sun Valley recorded 0.2 inches rain. Hailey recorded 0.38 inch. Stanley reported 0.1 inch.

Firefighters reported a 1-acre East Fork Valley Creek Fire in the Stanley area at about 9 a.m. But they soon doused it. A couple smaller fires were reported on the Boise National Forest about the same time.

 Former fire information officer Anne Jeffery reports another fire started on the Salmon/Challis National Forest north of Challis. The Meyers Fire was 0.1 acres in size Thursday afternoon. Ditto for the Red Rock Fire north of Fairfield.

BLAINE COUNTY PASSES MILESTONE

Idaho reported 342 new cases of the virus on Thursday for a total of 31,122. The state now has 343 deaths--six of them new.

Blaine County, meanwhile, reported three more cases on Thursday, bringing its total to 601.