Thunderstorm Warning Issued for Los Angeles County

LOS ANGELES, CA — A thunderstorm warning was issued Monday afternoon for Los Angeles County including Downtown and central LA, the San Gabriel and San Fernando valleys and coastal communities.

According to the National Weather Service, powerful lightning, thunder and hail have been detected. Doppler radar was tracking a cluster of strong thunderstorms near Alhambra Monday afternoon, moving southwest at 15 mph, according to the weather service. Some areas were being hit with windgusts of up to 50 mph and pea-sized hail.

Along the coast, conditions could be hazardous to small craft, and intense lighting was possible from Long Beach to Catalina Island, the weather service warned.

"If outdoors, consider seeking shelter inside a building", the weather service warned. "Frequent cloud to ground lightning is occurring with this storm. Lightning can strike 10 miles away from a thunderstorm. Seek a safe shelter inside a building or vehicle."

The thunder and lightning came with warmer temperatures in the upper 70s across the region. The chance of rain, thunder and lightning is expected to continue across the region Tuesday afternoon. Temperatures will begin to cool off Tuesday and into the weekend, according to the National Weather Service.