Southern Californians Wake Up To Scattered, Heavy Showers

LOS ANGELES (CBSLA) — Many Southern Californians were awakened by the sound of heavy rain Tuesday morning.

Heavy showers developed across the Los Angeles basin Tuesday morning, bringing a tenth of an inch of rain to downtown Los Angeles. Heavy showers and some isolated lightning have also formed over the Palos Verdes Peninsula, near Malibu and Marina del Rey, according to the National Weather Service.

The rain was a welcome break in another long-running heat wave and dry spell. Most of Southern California, especially the inland areas, had been mired in high temperatures since at least last Thursday, prompting the state to call for a Flex Alert on Friday, Saturday and Monday to ease the strain on the power grid.

Monsoonal storms occasionally hit Southern California in July, but rainfall during the summer is till rather rare. According to the National Weather Service, the showers that developed over downtown Los Angeles have already broken a record for July 13 – the previous record of 0.02" of rain was set in 1887.

Lower elevations should start to dry out before midday, but the warming daytime temperatures could create unstable conditions in the mountains and deserts, where there is still a threat of thunderstorms and showers Tuesday afternoon.

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