UPDATE: Rain, Thunderstorms Plaguing Los Angeles
UPDATE--Out with the heat wave, in with the rain showers. A heavy storm cell moved throughout Los Angeles Thursday morning and the National Weather Service has issued a flash flood warning for parts of the southeast area.
The warning extends to 6:30 p.m. and covers areas including Monterey Park, East Los Angeles, Huntington Park and Montebello. The Weather Service said the storm could drop two inches of rain in an hour and will have yet another impact on Los Angeles traffic.
Angelenos may have welcomed their first thunderstorms of the fall season on Thursday, but they were not welcoming the inevitable traffic delays.
Annenberg professor David Medzerian was forced to delay his morning class by almost an hour due to his delayed commute.
"When I got up this morning, in Long Beach, there was heavy rain, thunder and lightning," said Medzerian. "It was quite a challenge taking the dog out to do his business."
"There was also a big delay with the Blue Line trains," Medzerian continued. "MTA called it a 'service delay,' and they blamed it on a power outage. I got to the Long Beach Transit Mall station at 7:05, but the train was stopped; it was about 45 minutes until a train started up and headed to L.A."
Drivers on the 10, 101 and 405 Freeways experienced delayed commutes and public-transportation riders faced similar experiences.
There were lightning strikes reported near the Pacific Coast Highway, Long Beach 710 Freeway and Artesia 91 Freeway
SoCal Edison said 1,500 customers were without power in Long Beach and Signal Hill due to the strike along the 710.
The rain lightened up during the afternoon, but has come back, so make sure to bring your umbrellas.
