There’s been little respite for Southern California at present, as despite already suffering from a heat wave, intense summer storms struck on the 31st August, and as a result of that, lightning strikes which sparked off as a result caused brush fires as well as intense downpours.
At about 4:36pm, a 25-acre brush fire emerged near the 5 Freeway in the midst of a lightning storm, which caused havoc. The timing of the initial blaze couldn’t have been worse as it ignited just as two smaller fires, which were north of Lake Hughes Road, meant that the freeway’s northbound lanes had to be closed.
Since 1pm on the 31st August, around 3400 lightning strikes have been reported in both the Ventura and Los Angeles counties, while in Santa Monica, beachgoers were told by city officials to immediately evacuate all ocean areas and find cover until the storm had finished.
Many inland areas had triple-digit temperatures (Fahrenheit), while the weather service claimed that there were several communities which had hit new high temperatures for the day, which included Ramona and Riverside.
Meanwhile, while thunderstorms moved through San Bernadino County towards Los Angeles County, parts of the Santa Clarity Valley were pummelled by heavy rain.
Parts of the Inland Empire – which includes Fontana, Rialto and Riverside – were issued flash-flood warnings, while forecasters have also predicted that further lightning strikes are quite likely.
