‘Dangerous Storm’ Brings Rain, Lightning and Flooding to Parts of SoCal; Possible Funnel Cloud Spotted

As the region suffered through a fourth day of triple-digit temperatures, wild weather swept through parts of Southern California late Tuesday afternoon, causing flooding and damage in areas of the Inland Empire.

Southwestern Riverside County and eastern Orange County — including Riverside, Temecula, Corona, Hemet and Mission Viejo — were among the areas affected by the sudden summer storm, which included heavy rain, lightning and hail in the afternoon hours.

 

One of the areas hardest hit by the severe weather was Wildomar, which is located in Riverside County not far from Lake Elsinore.

 

The thunderstorm caused serious damage at Elsinore High School, tearing up the track, pummeling the school’s baseball dugout and metal batting cages and filling some buildings and classrooms with water that was knee-deep.

A staff member described the frightening moments of being caught up in the storm, likening it to a movie.

“It was insane. It was like that scene in ‘Twister’ where everything is flying around. I was waiting to see the cow to go by,” said Shannon Atkins, a staff member at the school. “We couldn’t get to safety, we were just right there holed up and there was nothing we could do.

http://ktla.com/2014/09/16/severe-thunderstorm-warning-issued-for-parts-of-orange-county-inland-empire/