Lightning Strikes Force Emergency Landing At LAX, Closure Of SoCal Beaches
LOS ANGELES (CBS/AP) -- Lightning strikes have wreaked havoc on Southern California.
An Alaska Airlines plane carrying 159 passengers made a safe emergency landing in Los Angeles after it was struck by lightning.
Airline spokeswoman Bobbie Egan says the flight left Los Angeles International Airport around 12:40 p.m. Saturday and returned within the hour. The flight had been heading to Reagan National Airport near Washington, D.C.
Egan says passengers on board didn't feel anything when the lightning struck, and that the Boeing 737 is designed to withstand lightning.
She says a maintenance crew is inspecting the plane.
Tropical storm Dolores has brought lightning strikes and heavy rain to Southern California.
Authorities closed all beaches in Los Angeles County Saturday morning due to lightning strikes.
Supervisor Bernard Peters with the Los Angeles County Fire Department says several strikes were reported along the coastline, including at popular Manhattan Beach.
The National Weather Service says coastal communities like Newport Beach could see lightning through Monday possibly.
Last summer, a lightning strike killed a man at Venice Beach and injured about a dozen people.
Meteorologists warned local flooding could be possible, as well as dangerous ocean conditions for swimmers, including rip currents and 8-foot waves.
Please be smart if heading outdoors today!! #Lighting chances continue over next 48hrs. If thunder roars go indoors!! pic.twitter.com/Fh8yPlKNXS
— LACoFD Lifeguards (@LACoLifeguards) July 18, 2015
The beaches will reopen after the threat of lightning passes.
Hurricane Dolores in the Pacific later weakened to a tropical storm bringing thunderstorms and pounding rain to Southern California. The system is expected to bring high humidity and temperatures to the Bay Area.