Lightning strike kills woman, 2 dogs in Southern California
A woman and two dogs were killed by a lightning strike Wednesday as thunderstorms pounded Southern California, authorities said.
The fatal lightning strike was reported at 8:50 a.m. near the San Gabriel River in Pico Rivera, said Los Angeles County Sheriff's Sgt. Jonathan Branham.
"It was a female Hispanic adult who had been struck by lightning and did not survive her injuries," he said. "She was walking two dogs and the dogs were also deceased."
The woman was not immediately identified. The city ordered its work crews and summer camps indoors, and canceled outdoor activities, including a farmers market.
The fatal lightning strike was also confirmed to CBS Los Angeles by the city of Pico Rivera in a statement.
The city noted that, "while lightning strikes are rare in Southern California, they occurred frequently overnight, with over 3,700 lightning strikes recorded in the region," according to CBS Los Angeles.
The thunderstorms were caused by a low-pressure system off the coast pulling monsoonal moisture northward into the region, meteorologists said.
Southern California Edison reported power outages affecting more than 27,000 customers.
The National Weather Service said most rainfall was light, but there were exceptions, including a cell over the San Gabriel Mountains in L.A. County, where a gauge recorded nearly an inch of rain. The lightning raised concern about the potential for fires in the drought-stricken region, and lifeguards closed some Orange County beaches.
Forecasters said the weather would start calming down on Thursday and then become more typical June conditions.