Rain Causes Stir in South Bay

Thunderstorms that developed near Catalina Island rolled through the South Bay on Friday afternoon, bringing large raindrops and loud thunder. The storms hit Hermosa Beach at about 1:45 p.m.

The National Weather Service reported that residents should expect brief, moderate rain, gusty winds and lightning with the thunderstorms.

As rain began to pour, South Bay residents took to Twitter to express their surprise at the sudden change in the weather:

• "BREAKING: I heard thunder in LA," tweeted Colin Cooley of Hermosa Beach, adding in a second tweet, "That water stuff is even falling from the sky."
• Twitter user Reese T. Peach in Hermosa Beach had a similar reaction: "It is raining. I mean thunder and rain."
• "Stupid Doppler 7,000 didn't prepare me for this [kind of] weather! Left my rain boots at home…" said Jessica Root of Hermosa Beach.
• "Rain in Los Angeles?" asked Redondo Beach resident Genc Vadiku when he posted a photo of his windshield on Twitpic. "But it's not November yet!"
• Twitter user @angi_voorhees in Rancho Palos Verdes seemed to be one of the few enjoying the storm: "Dark clouds, wind, thunder … I loveeeeee this #weather."
• Even the person behind @breezepreps for the Daily Breeze got in on the Twitter action: "Rain? Are we going to have some muddy games tonight? The photogs are not going to be happy…"

Fortunately, the rain probably won't ruin any weekend plans, according to the National Weather Service. The forecast for Saturday has a 20 percent chance of showers in the morning, and the rest of the weekend should be clear... but after today, anything could happen.

—Hermosa Beach Patch Editor Jacqueline Howard contributed to this report.