Storm Litters So. Calif. With Rain, Floods, Accidents
Freeways flooded, power flickered, and more than a hundred vehicles crashed as steady rain greeted Southland residents getting up today.
Unofficial rain gauges showed that more than a half inch of rain fell at the Los Angeles Civic Center, but more than that landed in the South Bay, San Gabriel Mountains, and Malibu area.
A county fire station in Trancas Canyon measured 1.34 inches of rain by 8 a.m., and more than 1.10 inches fell at two weather stations near Newhall as the band of rain passed over the area.
Showers moved into the Southland during the predawn hours and were expected to continue on and off throughout the day, then taper off this evening before making a return visit Sunday night and Monday, according to the National Weather Service.
Several freeways were blocked by surface flooding, crashed cars and trucks, or combinations of problems. The multilevel interchange of the 210, 134 and 710 freeways in Pasadena was snarled in several directions by flooding or wrecks.
At least three separate crashes occurred over two hours at the 101-405 interchange in the San Fernando Valley. And the southbound 5 truck lanes in the Newhall Pass were closed all morning by a spilled truckload of oranges that had to be scooped up with heavy machinery.
The CHP reported 75 crashes had occurred between midnight and 5 a.m., up from the 30 wrecks in the same period last week. At least another 75 crashes occurred after 5 a.m., according to CHP dispatch logs.
In Los Angeles, about 6,500 Department of Water and Power accounts were in the dark before dawn, the result of various storm-related mishaps. A crash at Nordhoff Street and Sepulveda Boulevard caused a transformer fire that blacked out much of the North Hills, said DWP spokeswoman MaryAnne Pierson.
About 741 accounts in the dark in Beverly Hills, 100 in downtown Santa Monica, and an unknown number in western Malibu, where wires were down near Zuma Beach, said Southern California Edison spokesman Scott Andresen.
The early-morning storm was the first of two weather systems that will bookend Southern California this weekend, and the second one will be stronger, colder and longer-lasting than the first, National Weather Service forecasters said.
Clearing skies were expected today, as clouds are blown out by winds that could top 50 miles per hour in some gust-prone places, like the San Gabriel mountains and the Antelope Valley. Sustained winds of 25 mph were likely in the cities, and the overnight forecast was for clearing skies and cold air: 37 to 43 degree lows were predicted.
Forecasters have ratcheted-up their rain and snow predictions for Sunday night and Monday, when another storm moves in from the northwest. The next one will bring more than an inch of rain to most of the area, and snow is expected as well.
The NWS was also predicting high surf and dangerous riptides along the Orange County coastline beginning Sunday. The surf was expected to range between 4 and 7 feet with sets up to 8 feet, according to the NWS.
Forecasters also issued a high surf advisory for these beaches. The advisory begins at 5 a.m. Sunday and will remain in effect until at least 5 a.m. Monday.
