Showers and thunderstorms Monday threatened the mountains, deserts and valleys of Southern California, National Weather Service forecasters warned.
Through Monday dry lightning could accompany any thunderstorm, which could spark a fire, warned the NWS monitoring station in Oxnard in a statement posted on its website. But beginning Monday night and continuing through the rest of the week, moisture will increase and the main threat associated with any thunderstorm will be brief moderate to heavy rainfall, it said.
Any thunderstorm will also generate erratic, gusty winds and could trigger flooding in low-lying areas, according to the NWS.
“Anyone planning outdoor activities should closely monitor the weather and be prepared for possible thunderstorms,” said the statement, which attributed the influx of monsoonal moisture in the region to upper-level high pressure over the Great Basin. “If lightning approaches, move quickly to an enclosed structure or vehicle. Do not attempt to cross flooded roads.”
The National Weather Service forecast mostly cloudy skies and highs of 76 in San Clemente; 77 in Avalon and at LAX; 79 in Newport Beach; 81 in Laguna Beach; 85 in Long Beach; 86 in downtown L.A. and Mission Viejo; 90 in Anaheim and San Gabriel; 91 in Irvine and on Mount Wilson; 92 in Fullerton; 94 in Yorba Linda and Burbank; 95 in Pasadena; 98 in Saugus; 100 in Woodland Hills; 101 in Palmdale; and 102 in Lancaster.
Tuesday’s temperatures will be about the same as Monday’s.
—City News Service