Thunderstorms, lightning bring high fire danger to Southland
Thunderstorms and lightning made a surprise appearance in the Southland Tuesday evening.
The uncharacteristic weather was expected to last through Wednesday, with the National Weather Service also warning of high-powered winds up to 40 miles per hour and scattered hail storms throughout several regions.
Light rain, accompanied by loud thunder and lightning were reported in several areas late Tuesday evening, including Burbank and Pasadena.
With the hot temperatures, accompanied by low humidity and the "risk of dry lightning," the NWS disclosed that any fire started could spread extremely quickly, especially when paired with strong gusts of wind.
Lightning, paired with the dry brush covering the Southland as California suffers through a record-breaking drought has fire agencies on high alert Wednesdady.
The storms were expected to be most prevalent over desert and mountain regions, as the monsoonal moisture headed through Santa Barbara County, though early Wednesday morning NWS sent a series of tweets warning residents in Los Angeles, Long Beach, Glendale, Pasadena, Alhambra, Lake Hughes, Palmdale, Vincent, Acton to be prepared for scattered hail storms and powerful wind.
In Orange County, Newport Beach city officials closed all beaches between the Pier and Corona del Mar due to lightning strikes off the coast.
While in Pasadena, fire officials reported a series of "lightning-related palm tree fires" before responding to a fire above Eaton Canyon.
Drier and warmer conditions were expected to return Thursday and persist through the weekend.
