Storm Causes Heavy Rain, Fire in Antelope Valley

A freak thunderstorm in the Antelope Valley on Tuesday brought heavy rain and lightning strikes, two of which sparked a small brush fire near Littlerock Dam and downed power lines in Lancaster, authorities said.

Just after 3 p.m. lightning hit the ground near Littlerock Dam, sparking a small brush fire, said Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Lt. Steven Fredericks. The rain put out the blaze, which burned less than half an acre.

About 7:20 p.m. lighting struck a tree in the 44000 block of 4th Street East in Lancaster and toppled wires in the area, Fredericks said.

The storm hit some areas with little more than a drizzle. Others, mostly in mountains to the south of the Antelope Valley, experienced a deluge.

Spotters for the National Weather Service reported rain falling at a rate of 2 inches an hour in the San Gabriel Mountains south of Palmdale, said meteorologist Bruce Rockwell.

“Some areas in the foothills and the mountains got a pretty good drenching,” he said.

There was minor flooding of streets in Lancaster, where .02 inches of rain fell between 3 and 5 p.m., Rockwell said.

Moisture left over from Tropical Storm Frank, which dissipated before hitting the California coast, is to blame for the humidity and Tuesday’s storm, Rockwell said. He added there is a chance Antelope Valley residents may be in for some more rainy weather today.

Lightning also struck power poles in Lancaster and Palmdale. Southern California Edison reported power outages scattered throughout Lancaster and Palmdale, but said residents were without power for less than 20 minutes, said Alis Clausen, a spokeswoman.

About 2,200 residents in Mojave were left without power after high winds downed 49 high voltage poles in Kern County, Clausen said. In most cases, power was restored in about an hour. For other residents, it was unclear when power would be restored as crews scurried to assess the damage and schedule repairs to the downed poles late Tuesday.