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Southern California gets rain, hail, lightning and ‘thundersnow’

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Rain, hail, lightning and even “thundersnow” were reported across Southern California on Tuesday, Feb. 15, as the region saw a significant drop in temperatures — as much as 30 degrees in some places — amid a winter storm, meteorologists said.

Reports of pea-sized hail started earlier in the day throughout Ventura County and moved east through Los Angeles County and the Inland Empire in the afternoon, said Rich Thompson, meteorologist for the National Weather Service’s Los Angeles office. About an inch of hail accumulation was recorded in Pasadena along with some reports of hail in Burbank, Thompson said. Hail was observed elsewhere, including in Upland, Costa Mesa, Whittier, Brea and Yorba Linda.

Late in the afternoon, LA County beaches were closed due to lightning. No damage or fires were reported — the threat was cleared and beaches reopened around 6:30 p.m., according to the Lifeguard Division of the LA County Fire Department.

These roofs are not supposed to be white! pic.twitter.com/GngoHaFO1A

— Daniel Tedford (@dgtedford) February 16, 2022

Solid downpour of small hail in Upland currently pic.twitter.com/BIYALa2RIQ

— Quinn Wilson (@qrwriter) February 16, 2022

Isolated thunderstorms worked their way through Los Angeles County from Point Mugu to the San Gabriel Valley in the afternoon, Thompson said. This band of storms brought thunder and “brief heavy rain,” he said.

In the San Bernardino County mountains, “thundersnow” was reported, according to Elizabeth Schenk, meteorologist for the NWS’ San Diego office. Thundersnow is described as a rare weather phenomenon in which thunder and lightning are accompanied predominantly by snow rather than rain, according to the NWS.

Snowfall was reported as low as 3,100 feet in the San Bernardino County mountains and accumulation of “a couple of inches” was observed at higher elevations, Schenk said. No snow was reported throughout the Los Angeles County mountains, however, there was a potential for snow throughout the evening at higher elevations, Thompson said.

SBCO: Chain control exists in the San Bernardino Mountains. Use #QuickMap to see all locations and levels. #Caltrans8 pic.twitter.com/oqt9yHv1jo

— Caltrans District 8 (@Caltrans8) February 15, 2022

In the San Gabriel Mountains, .3 inches of rainfall was recorded at one meter  north of Glendora and San Dimas, according to the NWS’ Los Angeles Office. In the Inland Empire, recorded rainfall ranged from one one-hundredth of an inch to about a quarter-inch, Schenk said.

Temperatures ranged from the upper-50s to mid-60s throughout Los Angeles County, about a 15 degree drop from high temperatures Monday, Thompson said. In the Inland Empire, similar high temperatures were observed and some were 15 to 30 degrees lower than marks recorded on Monday, Schenk said.

As if there wasn’t enough to talk about this afternoon… look at this!! This is the 24 hour change in temperature compared to this time yesterday. WOW!#CAwx pic.twitter.com/LCaFWdLdgg

— NWS San Diego (@NWSSanDiego) February 16, 2022

In Anaheim, a tree briefly caught fire after being struck by lightning in the area of West Broadway and South Manchester Avenue around 6:05 p.m., according to Sgt. Shane Carringer, spokesman for the Anaheim Police Department. The blaze was out prior to the fire department’s response, he said.

The storm was expected to pass through the region Tuesday night and bring warmer weather on Wednesday, Feb. 16, Schenk said. Santa Ana wind conditions were expected to return to the region Wednesday evening into Thursday, she said.

Staff writer Caitlin Antonios contributed to this story.

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