Thunderstorm Dumps Rain, Hail During Rush Hour

A brief storm packing heavy rain, high winds and marble-sized hail passed through the Valley on Friday evening, capturing attention with thunder and lightning during the rush-hour commute.

Two power-pole fires were reported simultaneously in Chatsworth immediately after a spectacular lightning flash, but officials said they could not be certain the fires were caused by lightning. The poles were in the 20200 blocks of Prairie and Plummer streets, said Los Angeles Fire Department spokesman Brian Humphrey.

He said there were no reports of injuries as a result of the storm, nor were any traffic collisions immediately attributed to it.

The storm was caused by a combination of a cold upper level low and daytime surface heating, which results in a destabilization of the atmosphere, said meteorologist Jonathan Slemmer of the National Weather Service.

Areas of low morning clouds and fog will have partly cloudy skies today with temperatures in the mid-60s. Sunday will be similar, becoming mostly sunny by the afternoon and temperatures slightly warmer near 70, Slemmer said.