Southern California sees huge waves, storm damage from Hurricane Marie

Hurricane Marie turned Southern California’s Labor Day weekend into a wild weather roller coaster, with powerful waves slamming the coast, thunderstorms forcing beach closures, heavy rain toppling a tree onto vehicles and thousands temporarily losing power.The storm remained well offshore in the Pacific, but its far-reaching effects were felt across the region Sunday as tropical moisture moved into Los Angeles and Ventura counties.The unusual September storm brought rain to normally dry streets while dangerous swells battered beaches from Malibu to Orange County.In Newport Beach, one surfer had a terrifying encounter with the ocean after powerful waves swept the person across a jetty and onto jagged rocks near 56th Street, KTLA5 reported.Video obtained by the station showed the surfer being carried by the waves over the rocky jetty as onlookers watched.The surfer briefly managed to stand before another set of waves crashed over the rocks, prompting a lifeguard to rush toward the water.The surfer escaped without injuries, according to Newport Beach lifeguards, who urged beachgoers to take the dangerous currents seriously.The frightening incident came as Marie generated waves of roughly 5 to 10 feet along parts of the Southern California coast.

The National Weather Service warned that rock jetties could become particularly dangerous during the elevated surf and advised people to stay out of the water or remain close to occupied lifeguard towers.Farther north, Malibu beaches were temporarily shut down Sunday afternoon after lightning moved into the area, according to KTLA5.The closures came after large crowds of surfers had turned out to take advantage of the unusually powerful waves.The National Weather Service had forecast a chance of thunderstorms across Los Angeles and Ventura counties as Marie’s moisture pushed inland.The storm was also creating problems away from the shoreline.In Los Feliz, a large tree came crashing down onto two vehicles near Vermont Avenu...