Thunderstorm Sparks Outages

A large Pacific storm arrived in Orange County on Sunday night with a spectacular display of thunder and lightning that caused brief power outages, authorities said.

“You can hear the thunder inside our building. Wow, it’s loud,” said Los Alamitos police dispatcher Bill Coleman, who reported electrical power lines down after a transformer was struck by lightning at the intersection of Noel Street and Farquhar Avenue.

In Santa Ana, Orange County Senior Deputy Coroner Richard McAnally was on the telephone with a reporter shortly after 7:30 p.m. when two lightning bolts struck nearby.

“A lightning bolt just hit a transformer right behind our building! Our lights and our computers just flickered,” McAnally said nervously. “Whoa! One just hit our parking lot!”

Despite the light show, no injuries were reported. Power was interrupted but returned “within 30 seconds,” said Southern California Edison spokesman Jeff M. Perlman.

Perlman said electrical transformers reportedly were struck by lightning in Los Alamitos and downtown Santa Ana. About 2,000 people were said to be affected in Los Alamitos by the brief blackout, but no estimate was available for Santa Ana.

“Our circuit relay switches opened but then reclosed, lasting probably only 30 seconds” at both locations, Perlman said.

Meanwhile, a flash flood watch is in effect for southern Orange County and other parts of the Southland through this morning after rain started falling Sunday night, forecasters said.

More showers, winds and cooler temperatures are expected through this evening, with highs in the 60s. The mountains can expect some snow.

The storm front could add up to two inches of rain, mostly at higher elevations, after weeks of erratic weather in Orange County. The county got record high temperatures last week after a drubbing from recent rainstorms that caused flooding and property damage.

Some clearing is expected by Tuesday, but residents should gear up for the next storm by Wednesday night or early Thursday morning, said Stephen Burback, a meteorologist for WeatherData Inc., which forecasts the weather for The Times.

Winds from 10 to 20 m.p.h. will help push the front through the county by this evening. The storm--which had been expected Sunday afternoon but was late in coming--is carrying a lot of unstable air, which Burback said caused Sunday night’s thunder and lightning show. But unlike recent storms, it was not carrying that much moisture, Burback said.

Federal and state disaster assistance centers are preparing to open this week to help those affected by last month’s floods. A center will open at Blakely Park, 8612 Westminster Blvd., in Westminster. The center will open Tuesday and will accept applications through Sunday. Center hours are 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily.