Last night, the hillsides around Twin Peaks were alive not with the sound music but with vociferous, earth-shaking thunder. And lightning!

Just when we thought this season's weather patterns couldn't get any stranger, Mother Nature followed up her record-breaking heat wave with a luminous roar. Over the course of just a few hours, 1,200-plus lighting strikes were recorded in the Bay Area. Some property was damaged and many sat in the dark as the power went out, but the mighty storm made for Instagram magic.

Here are some of the most shiver-inducing shots.