Severe thunderstorms have arrived early in Lake County, as lightning struck a tree Tuesday afternoon near the intersection of Light Road and Corvail Trail in Pablo.

Fire to the tree was contained within minutes and there was no reported additional damage, according to Fire Division dispatcher Jack Currie.

“It's pretty early for these kind of storms,” said Currie. “They usually don't arrive until sometime in August.”

Heavy rains and lightning hit the area at approximately 2:30. Three hundred lightning strikes were reported, with three of those strikes sparking fires in Pablo, Sloans, and area between Moise and Dickson.

Four acres near Moise and Dickson burned, which firefighters were still trying to contain as of Friday afternoon. “We're currently still working this fire,” said Currie.

Mission was hit especially hard with high winds and heavy rain. “I've never seen anything like it,” said one St. Ignatius resident who lives off of Lower Crossing Road. “The rain was coming down so hard and the wind was blowing everything around. It was terrible.”