Radar Tracks Strong Thunderstorms Across Southern California Coast
The National Weather Service warned these fast-moving storms could produce damaging gusts, hail, frequent lightning, localized flooding, possible brief weak tornadoes.
Overview
- Doppler radar showed isolated to widely scattered thunderstorms moving northeast at about 30 mph on Thursday, crossing broad portions of Ventura and Los Angeles counties.
- A line of strong storms was tracked from roughly 10 miles east of Cambria to near Nipomo and moved north at about 30 mph toward coastal San Luis Obispo County.
- Forecasters reported hazards that include wind gusts up to about 50 mph, penny-size hail, frequent cloud-to-ground lightning and torrential downpours that can cause localized flooding.
- The NWS listed many impacted communities including Long Beach, Thousand Oaks, Simi Valley, Oxnard and Van Nuys and urged people outdoors to seek shelter and to avoid driving through flooded roadways.
- NWS Special Weather Statements stressed these radar-based conditions can change quickly and said the storms fit a recent pattern of intermittent late-season convective cells that often cause downed limbs, power outages and travel disruption.