3 SoCal Airports Ground All Flights Due To Thunderstorm Activity

ORANGE COUNTY, CA — Three Southern California airports were ordered to halt all departing flights Monday afternoon due to dangerous weather reports.

The Federal Aviation Administration issued a ground stop at Los Angeles International Airport, Long Beach Airport and John Wayne Airport in Orange County due to thunderstorm activity in the region.

The Federal Aviation Administration issued the order shortly before 3 p.m. Monday, according to the website.

By 4:30 p.m., the ground stops were lifted for John Wayne Airport and Long Beach Airport, according to the FAA. LAX will remain on the ground until 4:45 p.m. Monday, officials said.

The ground stops — freezing departures — led to an unknown number of flight delays, but travelers were advised to check their plans.

The National Weather Service on Monday issued a Severe Thunderstorm Warning for high desert areas of Los Angeles County. At around 2:30 p.m., the NWS wrote "a cluster of severe thunderstorms was located in a line form Lancaster to Littlerock."

Severe storms also unfolded in Riverside County and parts of San Diego County.

Forecasters warned that the storms could come with 60 mph wind gusts and "penny size" hail.

Forecasters said the threat of monsoonal thunderstorms will linger in the area through Tuesday, mainly in interior areas. Such storms could also involve dry lightning strikes and potentially strong winds with brief heavy downpours.

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Patch staffer Chris Lindahl and City News Service contributed to this report.