Record heat wave brings lightning, brush fires and intense rain to Southern California

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Crissie Sumerlin, a visitor from Baltimore, takes in the view and the cool breeze at Santa Monica Pier as a heat wave continues to bake Southern California.

(Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times)

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Jasmine Ejan cools off with a cone of chocolate ice cream on a warm afternoon in Venice Beach.

(Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times)

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A vendor shelters from the sun while selling umbrellas, beach towels and boogie boards along the boardwalk near the Santa Monica Pier on a warm Southern California afternoon.

(Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times)

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Mariachi player Natolio Nuñez, who has been playing trumpet for 40 years, practices in the shade while silhouetted against a mural amid a heat wave where temperature reached 93 degrees at Mariachi Plaza de Los Angeles in Boyle Heights.

(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)

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Rain falls behind power lines near Adelanto at the end of a scorching hot day.

(Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times)

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Cumulus clouds frame Disney Hall in downtown Los Angeles as scorching heat continues across the Southland.

(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)

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Isaac Padron, 24, of Canoga Park, cools off, while taking a break from skateboarding at Lanark Park.

(Mel Melcon / Los Angeles Times)

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Lilly Santiago, 5, left, cools off with her mother Lupita, 56, after playing basketball at Lanark Park on Thursday.

(Mel Melcon / Los Angeles Times)

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Mariachi player Natolio Nuñez, who has been playing trumpet for 40 years, practices in the shade in Mariachi Plaza in Boyle Heights.

(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)

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Sophia Madrigal, 5, cools off at the Sylmar Recreation Center.

(Al Seib / Los Angeles Times)

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Crystalie Merino, 23, does her cardio workout in triple-digit heat in Warner Park in Woodland Hills.

(Al Seib / Los Angeles Times)

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Josh Navarro and niece Frankie, 2, enjoy Lyle Creek in San Bernardino.

(Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times)

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Keeping cool in the Grand Park fountain in downtown Los Angeles.

(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)

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Kenia Rivera, 26, sits in the shade in Lyle Creek in San Bernardino with Alex Navarro, left, and Jacob Navarro.

(Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times)

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Reginaldo Ramirez gulps cold water after working in San Bernardino, which hit 111 degrees on Wednesday.

(Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times)

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Workers toil in 111-degree temperatures in San Bernardino.

(Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times)

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A windsurfer at Cabrillo Beach in San Pedro.

(Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times)

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Edgar Eduardo Herrera drinks from a fountain at Exposition Park in Los Angeles, where the mercury reached into the high 90s.

(Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times)

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A woman shelters in the shade of the entrance to the California Science Center in Exposition Park.

(Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times)

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Edwin Cruz of Los Angeles sells cotton candy and toys to families at Whittier Narrows Recreation Area in South El Monte on Sunday.

(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)

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Kids play in the water at Whittier Narrows Recreation Area. Forecasters said a record-breaking heat wave will linger in Southern California until at least Thursday.

(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)

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Kids play in the water at Whittier Narrows Recreation Area in South El Monte on a hot Sunday.

(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)

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Gilman Orozco and his son Ian Orozco, 2½, both of Los Angeles cool down in a hammock at Frank G. Bonelli Regional Park in San Dimas on Sunday.

(Francine Orr / Los Angeles Times)

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To cool off, Jeffery Sofia Puga, 3, left, with her father Carlos Puga, 23, both of Torrance, eat ice cream and soak in the lake at Frank G. Bonelli Regional Park in San Dimas.

(Francine Orr / Los Angeles Times)

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Victor Dudchenko tosses his friend’s daughter Julia Bogachuk in the air while they play in the lake at Frank G. Bonelli Regional Park in San Dimas.

(Francine Orr / Los Angeles Times)

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Visitors cool down in the lake at Frank G. Bonelli Regional Park in San Dimas on Sunday.

(Francine Orr / Los Angeles Times)

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Luis Alvarez swings in a hammock with his 11-month-old son, Adrian Alvarez of Los Angeles, in the shade at Whittier Narrows Recreation Area.

(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)

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Kids fish and play in the water at Whittier Narrows Recreation Area in South El Monte.

(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)

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A person is silhouetted while relaxing in a tent by the water at Whittier Narrows Recreation Area in South El Monte.

(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)

By Veronica Rocha

and Joseph Serna

Aug. 31, 2017 6:20 PM PT

Already suffering under a heat wave, Southern California faced intense summer storms that moved in Thursday afternoon, bringing lightning strikes that set off brush fires as well as intense downpours.

A 25-acre brush fire erupted near the 5 Freeway about 4:36 p.m. amid a lightning storm, said Fire Inspector Gustavo Medina, spokesman for the Los Angeles County Fire Department.

The blaze started as two smaller fires north of Lake Hughes Road and triggered the closure of the freeway’s northbound lanes, he said. There was no estimate for when lanes would be reopened.

About 3,400 lightning strikes have been reported since 1 p.m. in Los Angeles and Ventura counties.

“You should see it on my screen. It looks like a swarm of bees,” said Stuart Seto, a weather specialist for the National Weather Service in Oxnard.

In Santa Monica, city officials asked beachgoers to immediately evacuate all ocean areas and seek cover until the storm ended.

Triple-digit temperatures were the order of the day for many inland areas, and the weather service said numerous communities hit new high temperatures for the day, including Riverside and Ramona.

As thunderstorms moved through San Bernardino County to Los Angeles County, heavy rain pummeled parts of the Santa Clarita Valley, forecasters said.

In a tweet Thursday afternoon, the weather service warned residents, “Thunderstorms from Malibu to Santa Monica. People should leave the beaches and go indoors or in your cars immediately!!!”

Flash-flood warnings were issued for parts of the Inland Empire, including Riverside, Fontana and Rialto. Forecasters said lightning strikes were also likely.

Residents of Colton lost power Thursday after a lightning strike hit a power substation.

Even without the lightning, the heat continued to tax the power grid. The California Independent System Operator called for voluntary electricity conservation Friday.

In Boyle Heights, an estimated 11,000 residents were without power between Wednesday night and Thursday morning as high demand overloaded equipment to the point of failure. Power was restored by 6 a.m., officials said.

Southern California’s heat wave should peak by Friday. But in Northern California, triple-digit temperatures will be continue through the Labor Day weekend. This is sparking concerns because there are already more than a dozen wildfires burning in the Sierra Nevada, and smoke is settling onto the people in the valley below.