Lightning threat shuts Huntington’s city beach; Newport and Laguna stay open

Huntington Beach evacuated people from the water and sand Wednesday afternoon as lightning and heavy rain swept Orange County’s coast. Other cities were monitoring the weather but kept their beaches open.

Huntington Beach shut down the city-run beach at 3:51 p.m., telling visitors to stay indoors or leave the area because of the wild weather, Marine Safety Lt. Claude Panis said.

“Our beaches are currently evacuated now until further notice,” he said. “We had one of our units see a lightning strike two miles inland from the beach at Sunset Beach. So with that and the info from the National Weather Service, we went ahead and secured the beach.”

Newport Beach and Laguna Beach kept their beaches open, as both reported rain but no lightning close enough to trigger an evacuation, officials said.

“We’re monitoring the beaches,” Newport Beach Fire Battalion Chief Mike Halphide said. “The rain came in, and in about 20 minutes our beach emptied out on its own.”

California State Parks Capt. Kevin Pearsall said state beaches, including ones in Huntington Beach and Corona del Mar, were on a precautionary advisement and remained open to the public.

— Anthony Clark Carpio and Bryce Alderton