Monsoonal moisture brings rain, lightning and thunderstorms to Southern California
Southern California woke up to wild weather Tuesday as a surge of monsoonal moisture brought showers, thunder and lightning to the area along with flash flood watches and uncomfortable heat, weather officials said.
A band of thunderstorms moved across San Bernardino and Riverside counties early Tuesday and continued its march toward Los Angeles County, according to the
“While these storms were moving fairly quickly, they could produce some heavy downpours across the San Gabriel Mountains and eastern Antelope Valley,” forecasters said in a statement.
Summer rain
The strong monsoonal flow will dominate the weather across Southern California for the next few days, forecasters said, bringing hot and humid conditions and the threat of heavy rains.
“With so much moisture, there is the potential for flash flooding with any thunderstorms that develop, especially in higher elevations such as the mountains and Antelope Valley,” forecaster said.
Because storms could settle over an area for an extended period of time, the weather service issued flash flood watches for the mountains of Los Angeles and Ventura counties as well as the Antelope Valley.
Temperatures, meanwhile, could reach 106 degrees in the valleys and 90s elsewhere.
Tree set afire by lightning
Thunderstorms can produce erratic winds and dangerous lightning that could spark fires.
On Tuesday, lightning struck parts of San Bernardino and appeared to set a palm tree on fire.
More than 860 lightning strikes were observed from midnight to 6 a.m. Tuesday in San Bernardino, Riverside and San Diego counties, weather officials said.
Scattered showers and thunderstorms could stick around until Thursday, with the most activity occurring on Wednesday, according to the weather service office.
Forecasters said thunderstorms were likely in all areas of Southern California. By the weekend, the chance of thunderstorms will decrease and dry conditions will return.
ALSO
Wildfires trigger evacuations in Lake Elsinore, injure firefighters in San Bernardino County
Suspect dead, 2 Los Banos officers shot after gunfire erupts during a struggle
Beautician accused in botched buttocks enhancement pleads guilty
Start your day right
Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
