LOS ANGELES –
Authorities say a woman and two dogs were killed by lightning Wednesday during a thunderstorm in Southern California.
The Los Angeles County Sheriff said the fatal lightning strike was reported at 8:50 a.m. near the San Gabriel River in Pico Rivera. Jonathan Branham.
He said: “It was a Hispanic woman who was struck by lightning and did not survive. “She was walking two dogs and the dogs were dead too.”
The woman was later identified as 52-year-old Antonia Mendoza Chavez.
The city ordered work teams and summer camps to stay indoors, and canceled outdoor activities including farmers’ markets.
Meteorologists said the thunderstorms were caused by an offshore low-pressure system that pulled northerly monsoon moisture into the area.
Southern California Edison reported outages affecting more than 27,000 customers.
The National Weather Service said most of the rainfall was light but there were exceptions, including one plot in the San Gabriel Mountains in Los Angeles County, where a gauge recorded nearly an inch of rain.
Lightning raised concerns about the possibility of fires in the drought-stricken area, and lifeguards closed several Orange County beaches.
Forecasters say the weather will begin to soften on Thursday and then become typical June conditions.
