The deaths of a woman and two dogs by lightning in Pico Rivera prompted officials to close beaches and keep an eye on fires caused by dry lightning.
The woman and her two dogs were killed while walking along a riverbed path just before 9 a.m., as severe weather moved into the Southeast Los Angeles region.
There is a one-in-million chance of something like this happening. He didn't have any more information about the incident or the woman.
People were warned to take extra caution and seek shelter when the weather service issued special weather advisories. The weather service issued a flood advisory for the eastern Antelope Valley region and warned of heavy rains through 3 pm.
Extreme weather has affected the region from west Orange County, where Newport Beach temporarily closed its beaches because of lightning, into central Ventura County, where firefighters were responding to two brush fires.
As of 10:45 a.m., Newport Beach's beaches reopened.
The rain and storms hit places like Long Beach, downtown L.A., and the western San Gabriel Valley.
⚠️There is a marginal risk (level 1 of 5) of severe thunderstorms developing over the #SoCal mountains and deserts this afternoon. The primary threat is damaging winds. Stay weather aware today. #CAwx pic.twitter.com/hw0ILqmW9L
— NWS San Diego (@NWSSanDiego) June 22, 2022
Ryan Kittell with the National Weather Service in Oxnard said that they had a busy night last night. "Any of these storms could produce a lot of lightning, and we've seen some gusts of wind."
He said that hail had been reported in Camarillo and Pasadena overnight and that there could be more during the day.
One of the many scattered power outages throughout the region was caused by a lightning strike that shut down the campus of Cerritos College.
Dry lightning, which can hit the ground without much rain, is a huge fire threat.
There have been over 200 lightning strikes in the last hour in Los Angeles County. The day is Wednesday. He said the agency recorded an additional 350 lightning strikes that were still in the clouds.
The environment is ripe for fire right now and lightning is a good source. The agency has tracked some reports of struck power poles and minor fires, but all have been manageable so far.
There were many reports of smoke from the lightning strikes in the Angeles National Forest.
According to the National Weather Service, the storms could be the most severe in Kern County. The fire was sparked by a storm in the early morning hours of Wednesday. It has been contained.
The threat of dry lightning should be lessened by the afternoon's storms.
Campers were urged to seek shelter when lightning struck and to be on the lookout for fires.
The storms haven't brought much precipitation to the region, with most areas recording less than a quarter-inch by midday Wednesday.
Kittell said other pressure systems in the region pull up tropical water from Mexico. The wind's direction has been shifted by a low-pressure system northwest of Los Angeles.
He said the weather pattern doesn't happen often until July or August.
The story was originally published in the LA Times.
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