Thunderstorm dumps heavy rain, floods roads in Antelope Valley

A powerful thunderstorm rumbled across the Antelope Valley on Monday evening, dumping torrents of water and flooding area highways, forecasters said.

More than an inch of rain fell in Pearblossom in 30 minutes, the National Weather Service said. In Llano, 1.16 inches of rain was recorded in a hour.

There were reports of flooding on Highway 138 and adjacent roadways, said Scott Sukup, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Oxnard.

The California Highway Patrol said the flooding knocked out traffic lights at Highway 138 and 165th Street East.

The Weather Service was advising motorists in storm areas to avoid driving.

“Most water-related deaths result from people driving into flood waters,” Sukup told The Times. “Never drive.”

The unstable weather was being caused by leftover monsoonal moisture that originated in Arizona and the Gulf of California.

The thunderstorms are expected to give way to a dry southeast flow of air that is expected to move across Southern California on Tuesday.

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