Parts of the Newport Beach and Huntington Beach coastlines were evacuated on Tuesday, June 3, due to lightning in the area.
Newport Beach’s alert, sent out on social media just after 4 p.m., warned people to stay clear of the water and sand and seek shelter indoors as storm cells moved into the area.
“Public safety is our top priority. We’ll provide updates as conditions change,” officials said.
Huntington Beach also put a beach closure in effect following reports from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration that there were ground strikes about 8 miles away, said city spokesperson Corbin Carson.
Efforts were underway to evacuate the waterfront and beachfront areas, he said. The pier was also cleared.
NOAA reported the cell should be passing through the area within the next hour, he said.
Laguna Beach beaches were not closed by 4:25 p.m., however lifeguards were monitoring, said Marine Safety Capt. Dane Doran.
San Clemente Marine Safety Lt. Sean Staudenbaur said at 4:30 p.m. that the beaches were not yet closed, but they were monitoring and communicating with the National Weather Service.
“It is coming our way, so we are preparing and getting ready for it,” he said, noting they could have closures within the hour.