A flash flood warning was in effect until 3:30 p.m. Thursday. It included but was not limited to Big Bear Lake, Big Bear City and Forest Falls.
From heavy rain and gusty winds to lightning-sparked brushfires, Southern California saw extreme weather on Wednesday. Thursday was shaping up to be a similar day, with more hot temperatures expected.
At 6:30 a.m. in Santa Clarita, it was already 64 degrees. The National Weather Service issued an excessive heat warning that took effect at 10 a.m.
Heavy rain and gusty winds were seen on Wednesday in the Inland Empire, catching a lot of people off guard.
Power lines came down in some neighborhoods, and in Lake Elsinore, a power line landed on top of a bus, trapping passengers on the bus for about an hour while Edison crews de-energized the power lines. One person was treated for heat exhaustion.
Dozens of Lake Elsinore families were still without power on Thursday. According to a Cal Fire spokesman, the incident was a local catastrophe.
Edison crews were still working on Thursday to render all the power lines safe. Power has been restored for 5,900 residences. At its peak, 6,000 residences were without power. One hundred homes remain without power. Nine to ten homes still have possibly active lines in and around the front yard and driveway, so those residents have been asked to leave until all the lines have been de-energized.
The rain also triggered flooding in Forest Falls and closed a mountain road for several hours.
Daniel Alva of Lake Elsinore shot video of the storm and sent it to ABC7.
"All of a sudden, this strong wind came, and it just started pouring down, and stuff started flying all over, and everything was hitting the walls, hitting the house, and winds were shaking everything up," he said.
In Temecula, Sun City and Palmdale, lightning sparked small brush fires. The largest was in Temecula, but that one had only spread to 35 acres. Firefighters were able get a handle on the fires and put out flames before they had a chance to spread into something much larger.
Thursday's excessive heat warning brings an increased risk of heat exhaustion and heat stroke. Those exercising are urged to do so in the early morning hours, and those who work outside are urged to stay hydrated.
