Thunderstorms hit parts of the Southland early today, rattling some people awake while making for a wet morning commute in some areas, most notably in eastern and northern reaches of Los Angeles County.
A strong storm cell developed early Wednesday morning over the Pasadena area, prompting the National Weather Service to warn of potentially gusty winds, lightning and even hail in parts of the San Gabriel Valley.
Such devastation never fully developed, but select areas in the San Gabriel Valley got a dousing of rain and a dose of lightning.
According to the NWS, the main storm front over Los Angeles County stretched from Long Beach through the Antelope Valley, with isolated storm cells developing and dissipating along the front, dropping roughly a quarter-inch of rain at a time and even dropping some small hail.
“There have been numerous lightning strikes,” according to the NWS. “This pattern will largely stay in place until evening, as the upper low slowly moves to the northeast.”
There were scattered reports of power outages around the Southland as the morning continued and isolated storms erupted. At least one small brush fire in the Sunland area was believed to have been sparked by a lightning strike.
The Pasadena Fire Department reported several “lightning-related palm tree fires” Wednesday morning, and by mid-morning was responding to a blaze above Eaton Canyon.
“Please try to stay indoors during this unstable weather and have your disaster supplies ready if you lose power,” the fire department warned residents.
Lightning off the coast of Orange County, meanwhile, prompted closures of beaches in Newport Beach and Laguna Beach.
As the day progresses, conditions were expected to be generally warm and muggy, thanks to the monsoonal moisture.
“It’s likely that most areas will end up 4 to 8 degrees above normal,” according to the NWS. “It will also be a little more humid, making the above-normal temps feel a little worse.”
A chance of showers and thunderstorms will continue Tuesday evening as the storm system moves off to the northeast. Calmer weather conditions are anticipated Thursday, with mostly sunny skies but a small chance of some isolated showers thanks to lingering moisture.
