It's the beginning of autumn and you know what that means: we're sliding into fire season. Tonight it's not wind but dry lightning storms that are raising red flags in mountain communities, according to the Los Angeles Times. more ›

After a thermometer-busting week, the Southland is getting rocked by thunder, rain, hail and the possibility of flash floods that will continue into Sunday, according to weather reports. more ›

Be careful out there, the wild weather continues in areas surrounding Los Angeles. Lightning strikes in Orange County have caused at least three tree fires and Fullerton community college to close after a strike hit campus, knocking out power. Out in Fontana, a man was injured by lightning that apparently struck a crane he was touching. He survived, according to the Press-Enterprise. more ›

The tail end of this heat wave has brought the Southland some unexpected, but nice weather. Commuters stuck in evening rush hour in parts of Los Angeles saw double rainbows and an intensely beautiful sunset. In Sherman Oaks and Studio City, there was rain, thunder and lightning. What did you see and hear tonight? more ›

Two homes have reportedly burned after lightning sparked a brush fire in a Lake Elisnore neighborhood this afternoon. Evacuations were called for and one sheriff's deputy was injured when he rescued an elderly woman from a house. In other parts of Riverside County, a handful of small and large fires burned, some near the cities of Temecula and Sage. "We've got small fires and larger fires," a Riverside County Fire Department spokeswoman told the LA Times. "We're trying to catch up. It's been hectic." more ›

During an intense wave of this third massive winter storm to pass through the Los Angeles area, two planes approaching Bob Hope Airport were struck by lightning this morning, according to KTLA. The aircraft were both Southwest Airlines, one of which was arriving from Oakland and the other from Sacramento. "The incidents happened sometime between 9:30 a.m. and 10:00 a.m.," reports a Southwest representative. The planes landed safely, and the airline is still working to determine if the aircraft were damaged. Two passengers "aboard the Oakland flight had some kind of medical complaints and were taken to Providence St. Joseph Medical Center for treatment." more ›

Some have e-mailed LAist asking about the huge white cloud over the fire. "Why is the smoke cloud white during the day?" one reader asked. more ›

It's rare that we hear thunder out here, so it could be a nice change as long as lightening strikes do not start fires. The National Weather Service is reporting the possibility of thunderstorms in Southern California beginning this afternoon: "The threat of thunderstorm activity will begin this afternoon across the mountains and Antelope Valley. As upper level disturbances rotate across the region, the threat of showers and thunderstorms will spread to the entire region by tonight, continuing through Sunday." If it does rain in Los Angeles, it will likely happen on Saturday. The Service says dry lightning strikes are possible, which is prompting some fire concerns. We should also could be experiencing some extreme highs and lows along with increased humidity. more ›

Thanks, lightning and dry brush. After yesterday's storm, lightning caused at least 19 fires in remote regions of the forest, Angeles National Forest officials report after a early morning reconnaissance flight. Twelve of those fires are full contained, but one fire called the Twin Fire remains fairly active in the the central San Gabriel Mountains. The 680,000-acre forest was struck by lightning approximately 400 times between 2:30am and 8:00pm Wednesday. Inciweb will be keeping tabs on the event. more ›

A one-acre fire is burning in a remote part of the Cleveland National Forest in Orange County today. Officials first got word of a column of smoke that led them to a section about a mile west of Los Pinos Peak. “It is way up there and in a very inaccessible area,” a fire official told the OC Register. They predict the fire will not spread and will be knocked down fairly quickly. more ›

Although temperatures are expected to be in the 80s and 90s today, the lighting, thunder and rain that traveled through San Diego and Orange County could break the heat for a short period of time today. more ›

Lightning is usually not seen in Los Angeles when compared to other cities where it pretty much happens anytime it rains. So last night, those lucky enough to see it, probably enjoyed the sights. A couple LAist Featured Photos contributors on Flickr submitted their photos. more ›

Yesterday was one of those great Los Angeles weather days. That is, when 5 miles makes the difference between a downpour and clear sunny skies. The Northwest Valley had some nice cloud cover and the Southeast Valley was perfect all day. It poured randomly in Santa Monica, but Beverly Hills was perfect. Brief spouts of rainfall were also reported in Ventura and Santa Barbara Counties. Then early this morning, lightning struck. 445 times to be exact, according to National Weather Service sensors, says the Associated Press. The lucky folks who got a little thunder and lightning action lived around Catalina Island and Palos Verdes where three thunderstorms were reported moving along the coast. more ›

A fire that began with a spark of lightning in Big Sur is now responsible for burning over 42 acres and is reportedly only 3 per cent contained. A 12-mile segment of the Pacific Coast Highway (Highway 1) has been closed down as firefighters work to control the blaze. Over 1,000 fires have been burning in Northern California for the past week, many of which were ignited by lightning strikes. President Bush has declared a federal state of emergency for the afflicted areas. more ›

Of all the big holiday releases, I Am Legend is probably the one I'm least excited to see. And that's saying a lot considering , I just get the feeling that there's absolutely nothing in the movie that will surprise me. And I'm sure that the dark ending of Matheson's source novel has been scrapped in favor of something more life-affirming. Because Will Smith never loses, right? Depressing. more ›

Since his early twenties, Garth Trinidad has been DJing Chocolate City on KCRW for over 10 years now. He sits on the Grammy Awards R&B board in support of the new ‘best urban alternative performance’ category, created as a direct result of his continued approach to music programming. He is a much sought after music commenter, supervisor and expert in his field. To catch his show, tune in Saturday nights on KCRW from 6:00-9:00... more ›

A car breaks down on an isolated country road. It is not only a dark and stormy night, it is the longest night in the world. The occupants, little Judy and her dysfunctional parents, are forced to seek shelter for the night in a remote old mansion. The mansion comes into view as it is illuminated by a flash of lightning, of course. Dolls pokes fun at the formulaic haunted house cliche while also providing... more ›

Release Date: 09/25/07 more ›

Some more updates to the Mudslide that happened earlier today on Forest Lawn Drive. An estimated 27,000 DWP customers lost power due to rain and lightning. And the rain only seemed to hit hard in select parts of the Los Angeles area. And because of all this rain dumping crazy stuff into the ocean, stay away for at least three days. "Why am I consistently one of the only white people riding the bus... more ›

Some fresh AIR would be really great right about now. Har har har!!! I'm such a card. Now, really, how about Air at the Greek this month, courtesy of LAist: head on over to enter our Labor Day Weekend Air Contest. In the category of Thank God It Hasn't Happened to Us Yet: over twenty thousand homes and businesses have lost power this weekend. If you're on the roads tonight, please drive safely, use... more ›

Historically the first week of the college football season is filled with boring tune-up games from the powerhouses. Take tomorrow’s matchups between Idaho at USC, Youngstown State at Ohio State and Arkansas State at Texas. BOR-ING! However here are three games that should be quite compelling to watch. UCLA at Stanford. This is probably most compelling for local reasons, but I really want to see how UCLA’s offense operates. From all accounts the offense... more ›

These are the last days of summer. At least that's what they say on the news and in the marketplace. But here in Southern California, it only gets hotter as the days grow shorter. (At least the pools won't close just yet). But -- Holy Dallas Raines -- early this morning, with temps stuck in the mid-70s, we've got thunder and lightning! Unfortunately, the electricity in the air has no bearing on California's energy supply,... more ›

PB&J playing their hit @ Red Eye Fly, SXSW 3/14 Peter Bjorn & John, Cass McCombs @ Henry Fonda Godsmack @ The Wiltern MIA @ Echoplex Michael Penn, Patton Oswalt @ Largo Oliver Future, The Gray Kid, Astra Heights @ The Troubadour The Last Town Chorus @ Amoeba (6pm) Maxeen, The Mercy Kiss, Acute @ Key Club Mower, Lords of Rock & Roll Thunder & Lightning @ Viper Room Bat For Lashes, Tara Busch,... more ›

written by Jenn Sherry for LAist All I have to say is The Do LaB knows how to party. And I’m not talking Sunset Strip or even Vegas party, I’m talking about that scene in Matrix Reloaded where thousands of people are dancing like sexy savages to bass pumping house beats party. The kid sister of Burning Man, Lightning in a Bottle is a green, giant, outdoor adult playground, where you can dress the... more ›

May has been rough on LA. more ›

The Chuck Dukowski Sextet, May 5, 2007. This interview was recorded outside of the very glamorous rock-and-roll Big Lots next to Suzy’s in Redondo Beach, where the live footage was recorded. more ›

Wires on Fire, Tsk Tsk, Die Die Die, Maps & Atlases @ Silverlake Lounge more ›

Knicks 102, Clippers 90 - Each team had five players score in double digits with just four other players adding 16 points to the game. The Clippers dominated the first half, leading by as many as 12 and going into the locker room up by 10. Something pretty inspirational must have happened at intermission, because New York scored the first ten points to even it up, then went on to win by 12. What did... more ›

Park City, UTAH - Don't worry, Dakota Fanning is safe and sound. She hasn't actually been raped. It's the character in her latest film that gets attacked. And thank goodness, because Fanning is the best thing about the otherwise dreadful Hounddog. Although the film's rape scene, which was filmed when Fanning was all of 12, has been getting so much grief (this morning's Sundance screening in Salt Lake City was greeted with protests), it's... more ›

Tenacious D @ The Gibson Sean Lennon @ El Rey Hot Chip @ Henry Fonda Jody Watley @ Vault 350 Partyline @ The Smell Dread Zeppelin @ 14 Below Mimi Fox @ McCabe's Wayne Federman, Margaret Cho, Paul F. Tompkins @ Largo The Damned, The Epoxies, The Adored @ House of Blues Pato Banton & Mystic Roots Band @ Forbidden City (6:30pm) Brett Dennen, The Weepies @ The Hotel Cafe Girls Play Boys, The... more ›