California scorched and drenched by heat, storms

SAN FRANCISCO -- California had record-breaking heat on Wednesday as triple-digit heat struck inland areas even as lightning closed beaches and mountains and deserts were drenched by fierce, fast-moving storms.

The sweltering but erratic weather was caused by a high-pressure area coupled with a plume of moisture from Hurricane Linda heading off Mexico.

Downtown Los Angeles had a high of 101 degrees, while the airport in suburban Long Beach hit 103, breaking the old record for the day of 98 set in 1990, according to the National Weather Service. In San Diego County, Chula Vista's high of 99 was eight degrees above the 1990 record.

In San Francisco, temperatures soared into the 90s and reached triple digits inland Wednesday. But a breeze picked up and the area cooled off a bit by late afternoon.

Monsoonal thunderstorms began lashing portions of Southern California in the afternoon, as they did a day earlier. Deserts and foothills had brief but fierce downpours, and lightning strikes set several small fires in northern Los Angeles County.

Concerns about close lightning strikes prompted the closure of beaches in Long Beach. In Orange County, swimmers were ordered out of the water at Sunset Beach.

The downpour caused a mudslide that forced the closure of Agua Dulce Canyon Road near the Antelope Valley (14) Freeway.

Throughout California, hundreds of cooling centers opened in senior centers and libraries around California.