Hot Weather and Thunderstorms Hit Area

Capricious summer weather Sunday blew a tree down on a house in Downey, spawned thunderstorms in the desert and mountains, and scored at least one record high temperature.

Beach-area residents, protected most of the day by cloud cover, enjoyed mild to pleasantly hot temperatures throughout the day, said National Weather Service spokesman Bill Hoffer.

The Santa Monica Pier registered a high of 69 degrees while Long Beach reached 90, he said.

Elsewhere, the weather was more eventful.

In Downey, gusts knocked a tree over and it fell onto a house in the 9000 block of Eglise Avenue, police reported. There were no injuries.

Tree branches also fell on parked cars and blocked the roadway, requiring cleanup crews to clear the way.

As the day wore on, temperatures hit 100 in Pomona, Burbank, Chatsworth and Woodland Hills. Near-misses included 99 in East San Gabriel and Pasadena, and 96 in Van Nuys.

The hottest location was the Antelope Valley city of Lancaster, where temperatures hit 106 -- tying a record set in 1957.

Mt. Wilson set an unofficial record of 93, beating its previous high for the day of 90, Hoffer said.

With moisture drawn inland by the high temperatures, late-breaking thunderstorms raked mountains and other desert areas. One storm center moved through the desert community of Pearblossom.

Hoffer said there was a 20% chance of thunderstorms today. He added that temperatures are expected to stay on the higher side of normal, with highs in the low 70s at the beaches and the low- to mid-90s inland, but should start cooling off by the weekend.