English Bulldog Puppies for Sale in Huntington Beach, CA

There is a trio of risky weather conditions in the forecast for the Los Angeles area starting Tuesday — thunderstorms, dry lightning and rip currents.

A low pressure system will skim the Southern California coast Tuesday through Wednesday, bringing an up-to-30% chance of thunderstorms across the region, with the San Gabriel Mountains, the Antelope Valley and the interior mountains of Ventura and Santa Barbara counties at greatest risk of being hit, according to the National Weather Service. The most likely window for storms is 2 through 10 p.m. Tuesday.

“With dry air near the surface, any thunderstorm that forms will likely produce downburst winds up to around 50 mph and the potential for dry lightning, especially for the foothills and lower mountains,” stated the Weather Service. “Higher elevations have less of a risk for dry lightning and a higher risk for brief heavy downpours, with rain rates up to around 0.75 inches per hour.”

Dry lightning occurs when there is enough moisture in the atmosphere to cause a thunderstorm, but the air near the ground is so dry that any possible precipitation evaporates, explained Weather Service meteorologist Rose Schoenfeld. This dangerous weather event is the leading natural cause of wildfires.

“A lot of times, if you have lightning, it’s raining as well and there obviously wouldn’t be a fire start because the ground is wet,” said Schoenfeld. “What we’re messaging here is that there is potential for the storm clouds to really not rain at all, which would mean that we could get lightning that hits the dry ground and can start a fire.”

Higher elevation areas are at lower risk of experiencing dry lightning because the rain has a shorter distance to travel to the ground and, therefore, less time to evaporate, she said.

Although this decreases the odds of a fire starting in mountain regions, rainstorms do come with the chance of flash flooding and, in areas previously burned by wildfires, a chance of mudslides. In particular, the Weather Service has identified the Bridge fire burn scar in the Angeles National Forest and the Eaton fire burn scar in Altadena as being at risk of debris flows Tuesday.

Along the coast, a different danger is lurking — a south swell bringing with it elevated surf up to 6 feet high and rip currents. The National Weather Service has a beach hazard advisory in place through Tuesday afternoon at Ventura County beaches, along the Malibu coast and at Los Angeles beaches.

“There is an increased risk of ocean drowning,” stated the Weather Service. “Rip currents can pull swimmers and surfers out to sea. Waves can wash people off beaches and rocks, and capsize small boats near shore.”

The Weather Service also announced Monday that it was officially entering fire weather high-season operations and would start issuing fire weather forecasts for Southern California twice a day.

“We do want people to start thinking about our next fire season,” said Schoenfeld. “It’s important the public start thinking about what they need to do to prepare their homes, their family, their go bags, learn evacuation routes and sign up to get emergency notifications.”

With the last heavy regional rain event having taken place in March and weather starting to heat up, vegetation is drying out and creating fuel beds for fires, she said. Fire weather danger will increase in the summer, when Southern California typically sees scant rainfall and high temperatures.

The California Attorney General’s Office on Wednesday filed an appeal in its lawsuit seeking to overturn Huntington Beach’s voter ID law, almost two months after an Orange County judge rejected the state’s arguments in the case and said the city’s new law does not violate the right to vote.

The Attorney General’s Office has been critical of the charter amendment since it was proposed. Approved by voters, the ordinance allows the city to require voters to present their identification at polling places in city elections as early as 2026. The notice of appeal filed moves the case forward to a state appeals court that will be fully briefed and consider arguments.

“California’s elections are fair, safe and secure,” Attorney General Rob Bonta said in a statement. “We respectfully ask the California Fourth District Court of Appeal to reverse the lower court’s decision and overturn Huntington Beach’s unlawful voter ID policy. State law supersedes local law when it comes to constitutional matters like the right to vote — and we will continue to fight to safeguard this fundamental right in court.”

Voters approved Measure A in early 2024, and the city since has been defending it from a lawsuit brought by the state office.

The city has argued in court that the state prohibition on voter ID requirements doesn’t explicitly apply to city elections that aren’t consolidated with statewide elections.

The City Council has yet to present details for how voter ID might work in city elections. The Attorney General’s Office has warned that the law could throw the 2026 elections “into chaos” as planning for them begins later this year.

Secretary of State Shirley Weber, who oversees elections in the state, called the voter ID policy “unlawful.”

“Municipalities should not be allowed to defy state laws in the name of solving nonexistent problems,” Weber said in a statement.

Huntington Beach officials did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The lawsuit earlier this year was, briefly, in front of a panel of judges in the California Fourth District Court of Appeal. They called the city’s arguments that it had a right to regulate its elections free from state interference “problematic” before sending the matter back to the Superior Court judge to reconsider an early ruling made to dismiss the case.

Booming thunderstorms, lightning strikes, bursts of heavy rain and even pea-sized hail hit parts of Southern California on Tuesday afternoon, prompting flash flood warnings around the region and temporarily closing beaches.

The National Weather Service warned of life-threatening flooding, dangerous driving conditions, and the risk of lightning near the coastline.

Most areas in Los Angeles, Orange, and southern Riverside counties recorded about a quarter inch of rain, though heavier downpours hit parts of the Inland Empire, where radar showed 0.5 to 1.75 inches in areas under advisories and up to 2 inches in isolated spots under flash flood warnings.

A flash flood warning was in effect until 7 p.m. for Santa Clarita, Granada Hills, and Sylmar, where isolated thunderstorms brought heavy rain, gusty winds, and possible hail. Most of the county saw around a quarter inch of rain, but some areas experienced only trace amounts.

Eastern Los Angeles County saw pea-sized hail, NWS meteorologist Todd Hall said.

“We actually have a broad area of central and southern Los Angeles County in the flood advisories,” said NWS meteorologist Ariel Cohen. “That’s because we have numerous areas that have experienced moderate to heavy rainfall in isolated spots of heavy rain.”

Cohen said light to moderate showers and thunderstorms were expected to taper off between 7 and 8 p.m.

Rainfall totals along the Orange County coast hovered around a quarter inch, with lingering thunderstorms continuing into the evening. A flash flood warning was issued for northern Orange County, and a flood advisory would remain in place through 8 p.m., warning of minor flooding in low-lying and poorly drained areas.

Cities affected by the advisory included Anaheim, Santa Ana, Huntington Beach, and Fullerton, where some areas saw 0.5 to 1 inch of rain. Other parts of the region saw less than a tenth of an inch of rain, according to NWS radars.

A beach hazards statement also remained in effect through Tuesday night, with elevated surf between 3 to 5 feet, occasional 6-foot sets, strong rip currents, and lightning risks along the coast.

The heaviest rainfall Tuesday hit parts of the Inland Empire, especially in northern Riverside and San Bernardino counties, where a flash flood warning was in effect until 7:15 p.m.

The warning covered cities such as Riverside, San Bernardino, Fontana, Moreno Valley, Rancho Cucamonga, and Chino Hills. Rainfall rates ranged from 0.25 to 0.75 inches per hour, with radar indicating 1 to 2 inches in some locations. Forecasters warned that flash flooding was ongoing or imminent, with an additional 0.5 to 1.5 inches possible.

Radar data estimates showed almost 1.75 inches near Fontana and Rialto and more than 1.5 inches in San Bernardino as of Tuesday night.

There were also reports of hail in some inland areas, meteorologist Paul Steward said. NWS confirmed penny-sized hail falling in Hemet in the afternoon.

A flood advisory was also active through 8 p.m. for cities including Corona, Temecula, Hemet, Lake Elsinore, and Perris, where 0.5 to more than 1.5 inches had fallen. The Corona area saw around a quarter inch, with less intense storm activity compared to the north. In Temecula, 1.67 inches fell, and there was around 2 inches in the Estelle Mountain area, south of Lake Mathews, according to radar estimates.

“We’ll be seeing some light rain and thunderstorms over the next few hours,” NWS meteorologist Adam Roser said of the region. “It looks like by tomorrow, the storm chance will be pretty low.”

By Wednesday, forecasters expect calmer, drier weather, with temperatures reaching the low to mid-70s across most of Southern California.

Parts of the Newport Beach and Huntington Beach coastlines were evacuated on Tuesday, June 3, due to lightning in the area.

Newport Beach’s alert, sent out on social media just after 4 p.m., warned people to stay clear of the water and sand and seek shelter indoors as storm cells moved into the area.

“Public safety is our top priority. We’ll provide updates as conditions change,” officials said.

The Balboa Ferry also suspended operations during the storm.

Huntington Beach also put a beach closure in effect following reports from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration that there were ground strikes about 8 miles away, said city spokesperson Corbin Carson.

Efforts were underway to evacuate the waterfront and beachfront areas, he said. The pier was also cleared.

NOAA reported the cell should be passing through the area within the next hour, he said.

Laguna Beach beaches, which were being monitored, ended up closing as well, according to a city alert sent out around 5:15 p.m. It said they would reopen 30 minutes after the storm passed through. By just before 7 p.m. the beaches had reopened.

San Clemente Marine Safety Lt. Sean Staudenbaur said at 4:30 p.m. that the beaches were not yet closed, but they were monitoring and communicating with the National Weather Service.

“It is coming our way, so we are preparing and getting ready for it,” he said, noting they could have closures within the hour.

At all State Beaches — Huntington Beach, Bolsa Chica, Crystal Cove, Doheny and San Clemente — lifeguards were warning beachgoers on PA systems to not go in the water, but beaches were not closed as of 4:30 p.m., said State Parks spokesman Kevin Pearsall.

Seal Beach Marine Safety Officer Jeremy Jenks said the beaches and pier were closed as of about 3:50 p.m., following several strikes in the area.

“We’ll open back up,” he said, “30 minutes after there’s been no lighting detected in a 10-mile radius.”

Looking for a top-tier beach to visit this summer? You won’t need to travel far.

San Luis Obispo County is home to the No. 2 beach in the state, according to USA Today’s list of the best coastal gems in California in 2025.

The publication sought out the top spots for beach bliss throughout California’s 400 beaches and 840 miles of coastline.

USA Today focused on destinations offering scenic sunsets, stellar surfing, stunning sandy shores and an abundance of waterfront activities.

Pismo Beach landed the second spot on the list, ranking just behind ‘Olol’koy Beach Park in Oxnard.

Here’s what to know:

Pismo Beach took the second-best spot on USA Today’s list due to its family-friendly attitude, natural beauty and wide-ranging outdoor activities, according to the publication.

“Fun for all ages, Pismo Beach on the Central Coast is a picturesque seaside destination known for its panoramic coastal vistas, wide sandy shores and laid-back California charm, offering a great blend of relaxation and recreation,” USA Today said.

Visitors who want to play in the waves can try surfing and paddleboarding or explore neighboring sand dunes on all-terrain vehicles, the publication said.

It was the second year in a row the SLO County beach earned a second-place ranking on USA Today’s list of the best beaches in California.

Pismo Beach recently landed the top spot as the best coastal small town in the United States for 2025, according to USA Today.

“With so many incredible beach towns across California, we’re honored to consistently rank among the best,” Gordon Jackson, director of tourism and events for the Pismo Beach Conference and Visitors Bureau, said in a news release. “We work hard to make Pismo Beach a truly unique destination that delivers that classic California coastal feeling people come looking for.”

These were the top 10 coastal gems in California in 2025, according to USA Today:

To narrow down its list of the best beaches in the Golden State, USA Today said it called on a panel of travel experts to nominate their favorites.

The publication then asked readers to vote for their top picks.

The California beaches with the most reader votes landed on the top 10 list, USA Today said.