Monday Morning Thunderstorm Wreaks Havoc Throughout SoCal
LOS ANGELES (CBSLA.com) — A thunderstorm that arrived just in time for Monday's morning commute wreaked havoc in the form of downed trees, road closures and power outages throughout Southern California.
A 20-foot pine tree branch also fell onto a home in unincorporated Anaheim, piercing the interior of the home, CBS2/KCAL9's Michele Gile reported.
Authorities responded to several other incidents in Orange County. In Mission Viejo, a lightning strike also ignited an attic fire in the 26000 block of Crown Valley Parkway that was quickly extinguished, according to the Orange County Fire Authority.
The fire affected five businesses and caused $30,000 in damage, authorities said
A power outage was reported at 6:05 a.m. at Los Angeles International Airport, forcing two arriving flights -- one domestic and one international -- to detour to Ontario International Airport, according to Nancy Castles of Los Angeles World Airports.
The domestic flight was able to land at LAX at a later time, while the international flight's passengers were taken back to LAX by bus. A third flight diverted to San Diego arrived later at LAX.
The thunderstorm caused an airport-wide power outage, but back-up generators kicked in, Castles said. Power was restored to all of LAX's structures by 10:30 a.m.
Two Angeles National Forest highways were closed abruptly at 7:30 a.m. because of snow at higher elevations. Angeles Forest Highway, between Aliso Canyon Road and Angeles Crest Highway/SR2, and Upper Big Tujunga Canyon Road, between Angeles Forest Highway and Angeles Crest, will be closed "while snow and ice conditions persist," L.A. County Public Works officials said.
In Oxnard, police and city officials warned motorists of trees down in at least seven locations, including Channel Islands Boulevard, Lantana and Gonzales and Del Norte and the Ventura (101) Freeway.
In Inglewood, a power pole and some live wires fell onto the Manchester Boulevard offramp from the northbound San Diego (405) Freeway after possibly hit by lightning. Fallen trees also blocked streets in the area.
A large tree also fell on a home after the homeowner had departed for work, KCAL9's Dave Lopez reported.
No injuries were reported from those incidents.
One motorist posted a video to Twitter of a palm tree burning in Koreatown after it was struck by lightning. He said he reported the incident to 911.
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