Lightning, Hail & Rainbow Over SoCal; Los Angeles Beaches Reopen

VENICE, CA — Los Angeles County beaches reopened Tuesday night after thunder, lightning, rain and hail hit Los Angeles beaches, lifeguards announced. A surf and wind advisory was in effect.

Los Angeles County Lifeguards closed all county beaches Tuesday evening due to a sudden lightning storm. Beaches were reopened by 6:30 p.m.

A surf advisory was issued for Los Angeles County beaches through 4 a.m. Wednesday. Surfers can expect large, breaking waves of 4 to 7 feet with dangerous rip currents, according to the National Weather Service. The highest surf will be along west-facing beaches.

The high surf is expected to produce localized beach erosion and dangerous swimming conditions.

"Swim near a lifeguard," the NWS reports. "If caught in a rip current, relax and float. Don`t swim against the current. If able, swim in a direction following the shoreline. If unable to escape, face the shore and call or wave for help."

Wind gusts are also expected to bring west to northwest winds from 15 to 25 mph with gusts up to 35 mph. The strongest winds are anticipated near the coast.

Just after 5:30 p.m. Tuesday, the storm moved in with showers and dozens of streaks of lightning, creating unsafe conditions at the beaches according to county lifeguards. Swimmers and surfers were cleared from the water, and people were advised to leave beaches and seek shelter until the storm passes.

The storm displayed dozens of spectacular streaks of lighting across Los Angeles and Orange counties Tuesday night.

The storm ushered in a dramatic drop in temperatures with light showers and a chance of snow in the local mountains, according to the NWS.

- City News Service contributed to this report.