Forecasters are calling for a slight chance of thunderstorms Tuesday afternoon over the mountains and the Antelope Valley, one day after pop-up thunderstorms and lightning strikes prompted a temporary shutdown of operations at some local airports, including LAX.
“There will be noticeable cooling today followed by a slow warming trend that will last through the Labor Day weekend,” the National Weather Service said Tuesday morning. The weather service said a slight chance of thunderstorms will develop over most of the mountains and the steering flow will push them into the Antelope Valley, with the best chance (40%) occurring over the eastern San Gabriel Mountains.
“These storms look to be fairly high-based which means the principle hazards will be downburst winds and dry lightning,” the NWS added.
Most areas of the Southland will experience minor cooling Tuesday, with many temperatures in the area falling 3 to 6 degrees from Monday. Highs are expected to reach 84 degrees in downtown Los Angeles, 77 in Santa Monica, 87 in Pasadena, 83 in Anaheim, 86 in Van Nuys and 93 in Lancaster.
Shortly after 2 p.m. Monday, the Federal Aviation Administration issued a ground stop at LAX, Long Beach Airport and John Wayne Airport in Orange County due to thunderstorm activity in the area — even though the skies directly over LAX remained clear.
The ground stops — freezing departures — led to an unknown number of flight delays, but travelers were advised to check their plans. All of the ground stops were lifted by 4:45 p.m.
According to the NWS, however, strong thunderstorms developed Monday afternoon in the Antelope Valley, impacting areas such as Palmdale, Lancaster and Littlerock. Severe storms also unfolded in Riverside County and parts of San Diego County.