Lightning Possible At SoCal Beaches This Weekend

SANTA MONICA, CA — The National Weather Service issued a warning for SoCal beachgoers this weekend: Watch out for possible thunder or lightning at the beach.

Lightning can strike from miles away, and it's important to take shelter if you hear or see it, according to the agency. Leave the area, evacuate if lifeguards ask you to and shelter in a car or indoors—not outdoors or in an uncovered location. Gazebos are not safe, according to NWS.

Here are is the forecast for Santa Monica:

• Friday: A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms after midnight. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 71. Southwest wind around 5 mph becoming calm after midnight.
• Saturday: A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms before noon. Mostly sunny, with a high near 79. East southeast wind 5 to 15 mph becoming southwest in the afternoon.
• Saturday Night: A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms after midnight. Partly cloudy, with a low around 71. Southwest wind 5 to 10 mph.
• Sunday: A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms before noon. Mostly sunny, with a high near 76. South wind 5 to 10 mph.
• Sunday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 67. Southwest wind 5 to 15 mph, with gusts as high as 20 mph.

Lightning kills 20 or more people in the U.S. each year, and hundreds more are severely injured, according to the National Weather Service.

Lightning along the coast caused officials to evacuate Los Angeles County beaches for safety precautions last summer.

A lightning strike in 2014 at Venice Beach left a 20-year-old man dead and injured eight others.

There is a possibility of beach lightning over the weekend for #SoCal beaches. Seek shelter if you hear thunder or see lightning - do not wait until it's close! Remember, beach gazebos are not a safe place to shelter! #CAwx #LAweather pic.twitter.com/mpck0bWUtr
— NWS Los Angeles (@NWSLosAngeles) August 22, 2020

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