Late Friday night, a temporary ground stop was issued at Los Angeles International Airport due to a powerful storm pummeling Southern California.
“Departures to Los Angeles International are grounded due to thunderstorms,” said the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) in a statement on their website. The grounding covered portions of California, Nevada, Utah, and Arizona, and some flights were being diverted to Ontario airport.
According to the FAA’s website, the ground stop was set to expire at 1 a.m. Saturday, but the order appeared to expire before that. An update from the agency said departures were being delayed at least 15 minutes.
Despite the temporary lift of the ground stop, heavy rain continued to fall across Southern California as the storm system moved over the region, prompting high winds, flood warnings, and evacuation warnings for some residents. A Flash Flood Warning for Los Angeles County was extended until 2 a.m. Saturday.