Thundershowers Strike in Parts of Southland

Strange weather came out of the blue in the Los Angeles Basin on Friday with hail falling in Pasadena from thundershowers that spawned thunder and lightning and brief, heavy downpours in the east San Gabriel Valley.

Skies were mostly clear in Orange County, with a high of 68 and low of 55.

“Lightning and thunder rocked the Police Department,” El Monte Sgt. Mark Sullivan reported. “Basically it was heavy rain, lightning and thunder.”

Sullivan estimated the midafternoon thundershower hung around for 45 minutes.

Kathryn Phillips, a free-lance journalist, said hail the “size of BBs” pelted her Pasadena home for about five minutes shortly after 1 p.m.

Meteorologist Michael Schlesinger of WeatherData Inc., which provides forecasts for The Times, blamed the disturbance on a “very powerful” high-level, low-pressure system hanging around Nevada.

Schlesinger said the slow-moving front spun energy and moisture into Southern California, creating thundershowers when warm air at the surface rose to meet very cold air at upper levels.

He predicted good weather for the weekend, with mostly fair to sunny skies and high temperatures in the 60s and low 70s.

Morning low clouds will blot otherwise sunny skies today in Orange County, with west winds at about 10 m.p.h. The high will be near 70. Lows are expected to be in the lower 50s. Sunday will be mostly sunny with highs in low 70s.