Southland storms clear with no lightning as hot, humid conditions forecast to continue
Unseasonably hot and humid conditions brought light rain and the threat of lightning to parts of Southern California on Monday, with the weather expected to continue this week as forecasters warned of triple-digit heat in the valleys and other inland areas.
Small pockets of rain were spotted across the Southland on Monday morning, from south Los Angeles County in Wilmington to Oxnard and other areas of Ventura County, said David Sweet, a National Weather Service meteorologist in Oxnard.
Weather officials were warning that thunderstorms could bring more severe weather to certain areas, especially inland, including “heavy downpours,” “strong, erratic wind gusts” and lightning, but the storms dissipated by 4 p.m. with no recorded lightning strikes, said Joe Sirard, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Oxnard.
Monsoonal moisture — the result of wind patterns shifting from south to north and bringing moisture up from Mexico — often sparks thunderstorms, like the one last month that produced lightning that killed a woman and her two dogs in Pico Rivera.
Conditions were hot across much of the region, reaching 100 degrees in Chatsworth, 101 in Woodland Hills and 88 degrees in downtown Los Angeles and Long Beach, Sirard said.
Southern California generally saw temperatures a few degrees above normal, but no record highs were broken, he said.
Heat has been lingering overnight in some locations, with Burbank set to potentially tie its 2003 record for maximum low temperature at 73 degrees, Sirard said.
Lancaster could also tie its record high minimum temperature of 82 degrees, set in 2010, and Palmdale’s low of 82 degrees could break the same record, which was set at 81 degrees in 2003.
Whether those records are tied or broken will be known by 1 a.m. Tuesday, Sirard said.
Conditions are expected to stay warm through Thursday, especially away from the coast, he said.
The Antelope Valley could see temperatures as high as 106 degrees on Thursday, the Santa Clarita Valley could see highs in the low 100s, peaking on Wednesday, and the western San Fernando Valley could see temperatures as high as 103 on Wednesday, Sirard said.
Inland areas closer to the coast, including downtown L.A., should see highs in the low to mid 80s, while conditions along the coast will be in the low to mid 70s.
Humidity should fall over the next few days, Sirard said, but anyone outside should be mindful, seek shade and stay hydrated.
“It will be sticky,” he said. “People just need to use common sense.”
The surf at many beaches has also kicked up with the weather shift. The National Weather Service issued a high surf advisory Monday afternoon through Thursday at 11 a.m., warning of waves from 4 to 7 feet and dangerous rip currents for Los Angeles County beaches, Santa Catalina and Santa Barbara islands, the Malibu coast and Ventura County beaches.
Even with pockets of rain moving across the region, Sweet said no areas are expected to get significant rainfall and the precipitation won’t make any dent in the ongoing drought.
Thunder, lightning, rain and heavy winds hit as monsoonal moisture moves through the region.
“People would get lucky to get a tenth of an inch. It’s very light amounts,” he said. “The storms are moving around at a pretty good rate, so any one area is not looking to get too much.”
The chance for moisture and storms should be gone by Tuesday, which Sweet said “looks sunny and drier.”
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