WE GET THE RAIN & MORE

After nearly four weeks of hot and dry weather, a booming thunderstorm brought more than a half inch of rain Monday afternoon to the Teche Area. But a flurry of lightning strikes destroyed at least 10 transformers in Iberia Parish and left nearly 4,000 residents temporarily in the dark.

The National Weather Service in Lake Charles said 0.61 inches fell in New Iberia, the first measurable precipitation since June 4. Forecasters predicted a 30 percent chance of rain into the weekend as some scattered thunderstorms roll through the area.

Although the storm provided a welcome reprieve from the arid conditions, emergency responders had their hands full dealing with complications from thunder and lightning. In a span of about two hours, the Iberia Parish Fire District responded to 17 calls, said Fire Chief Guy Bonin.

“We had alarms going off and electrical poles sparking,” Bonin said this morning. Fortunately, Bonin said, there were no serious structure fires caused by lightning.

The New Iberia Fire Department was also busy. A tree branch downed a power line at 113 Landry Drive, said Fire Department spokesman Marty DeLaune.

The lightning strikes caused widespread power outages that affected 3,800 residents in Iberia Parish, said Robbyn Cooper, a Cleco spokeswoman. The first power outages were reported around 4:30 p.m., and some residents were without power until 3:30 this morning, Cooper said.

“We replaced at least 10 transformers due to lightning strikes,” she said this morning, adding crews were called in from Jeanerette and Franklin to lend a hand.