Hail, Rain Pelt Antelope Valley
Freak storms brought mothball-size hail, lightning and rain to the Antelope Valley on Tuesday afternoon and closed three highways elsewhere in Southern California.
The sudden downpour in the Antelope Valley caused at least three traffic accidents and created minor flooding on some streets. Witnesses reported seeing hailstones three-eighths of an inch thick, said Bill Hoffer of the National Weather Service.
A brush fire, apparently started by a lightning strike at Avenue N and 60th Street in Lancaster, burned about three acres. No one was injured and no structures burned.
Elsewhere, heavy rain closed northbound Interstate 15 at Barstow, U.S. 395 was washed out in Inyo County, and California 18 in Apple Valley was also closed, the California Highway Patrol said.
A low-pressure system off the West Coast merged with a high-pressure system centered over Colorado, drawing up moisture from the Gulf of Mexico. Moisture mixed with warm air creates an unstable atmosphere and thunderstorms, meteorologists said.
The Weather Service predicted a 20% chance of rain today.
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