July 01--Officials ordered beachgoers to head indoors amid lightning storms off the coast of Southern California on Tuesday.
Rain, thunder and lightning were reported along beaches from San Diego to Los Angeles. As of 5 p.m., the storm was producing 40-50 mph wind gusts, the National Weather Service said.
"Beachgoers in L.A. County should move indoors," the National Weather Service said in an advisory. "Frequent lightning observed from Long Beach to South Bay."
There were also reports of lightning strikes farther inland in San Diego and Riverside counties.
Meanwhile, California officials are asking residents statewide to reduce their energy consumption between 2 p.m. and 9 p.m. through Wednesday. A wave of triple-digit temperatures was forecast this week.
The California Independent Systems Operator issued the Flex Alert on Tuesday, calling for voluntary conservation efforts, because the state's power will likely be under demand through Wednesday.
Daytime temperatures are expected to range between 105 and 115 degrees in Northern California, according to the National Weather Service.
A ridge of high pressures building over the Western United States will push temperatures up Tuesday and Wednesday. Temperatures are expected to peak Wednesday in the Sacramento, San Francisco, East Bay and Salinas Valley communities.
Officials urged residents to stay indoors to keep cool and to drink plenty of water.
The extreme heat is expected to pick up again Friday. But so far, the California Independent Systems Operator, funded by investor-owned utilities and authorized by the California Public Utilities Commission, has not issued a Flex Alert for that day.
State officials, however, are asking residents to continue to conserve energy.
Residents should turn off any unnecessary lights, keep appliances off until 9 p.m. and keep air conditioning up to 78 degrees.
UPDATES
5:27 p.m.: This post has been updated to add information about lightning storms.
The first version of this post was published at 1:41 p.m.
