Shoppers camping outside Atwater Village Best Buy abandon tents when rain hits

ATWATER VILLAGE, LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- Customers camping outside a Best Buy in Atwater Village to get an early start on shopping had to abandon their tents and seek shelter when they were hit by heavy rain.

The storm that swept through Southern California is expected to stay for Thanksgiving, but on Wednesday, people camping outside the Best Buy left their posts when the rain came pouring down.

"It is very cold. I have to definitely get more sweaters and beanies," said Esteban Ramirez, a Best Buy shopper who got a head start on the holiday shopping.

It rained most of Wednesday morning throughout L.A. Firefighters rescued a man in Atwater Village after he became stranded in the fast-moving Los Angeles River.

In South L.A., steady rain caused minor street flooding, and in Brentwood, traffic crawled on Sunset Boulevard because of high water on the roadway that proved too much for storm drains.

In Long Beach, a snapped power pole caused by the weather at Bellflower Boulevard and Harvey Way left some residents in the dark.

The rain is expected to stay for Thanksgiving and linger into Friday.