Scattered storms, lightning hit Southern California and prompt beach closures
Scattered thunderstorms and lightning rumbled through parts of Southern California on Wednesday, temporarily closing Los Angeles County beaches and causing minor flooding and hail accumulation in San Bernardino County.
“People are reporting some frequent lightning strikes” from Norwalk to Culver City, said Todd Hall, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Oxnard.
Lightning led to beach closures in San Pedro, Torrance, Redondo Beach and Manhattan Beach on Wednesday morning, the Los Angeles County Fire Department’s Lifeguard Division said in a tweet. The beaches reopened by noon and the agency said lifeguards would continue to monitor conditions.
A cluster of storms developed over southern L.A. County about 2:30 a.m. and quickly moved over the area, traveling into Inglewood, downtown Los Angeles, Malibu and Pacific Palisades, Hall said.
Most areas saw less than 0.1 of an inch of rain over the previous 12 hours, Richard Thompson, a weather service meteorologist in Oxnard, said about 6 p.m. Scattered thunderstorms and showers continued into the afternoon, with storms moving from east to west into Ventura County and mostly affecting the mountains and foothills.
No significant flooding was reported, Thompson said.
Conditions on Thursday are expected to be similar, with a threat of showers and thunderstorms overnight and into the day, he said. Potential for rain is expected to drop on Friday, with some lingering chances in mountain areas.
The warning was in place until 5:30 p.m. for the Apple and El Dorado fire burn scars, according to the National Weather Service.
Minor flooding and mud on the road was reported on State Route 74 outside Hemet near the Fairview fire burn scar, but no significant flooding or debris flows were reported, said Samantha Connolly, a meteorologist with the weather service in San Diego.
Lake Arrowhead received 1.4 inches of rain along with some heavy hail, though no specific hail amounts were available Wednesday evening, Connolly said. A weather gauge in Wrightwood reported 0.45 inches of rain.
A thunderstorm over recently burned areas of the Inland Empire prompted worries of flash flooding and debris flows Tuesday afternoon, but the area appeared to have escaped significant impact by the evening.
The lack of data about the heat wave’s human toll underscores California’s ongoing struggle to monitor extreme heat events despite promises to do so.
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