Southland weather not so frightful

Some people may have dreamed of a very white Christmas and others feared an extremely wet one. But most people in Southern California were relieved that a set of back-to-back storms through Thursday night brought less snow and rain than originally predicted.

Strong and potentially dangerous wind caused cancellation of skiing on some newly powdered slopes in Wrightwood and Big Bear, and winter storm warnings were to remain in effect through midday today in the mountains. Otherwise throughout the region, drives to church, family dinners and other holiday activities were only lightly slowed by Thursday’s rain, and authorities reported that all freeways remained open, even the often icy stretch of I-5 through the Grapevine.

“It was a good thing because I don’t think we were ready for that much weather on Christmas Day,” said Stuart Seto, a weather specialist with the National Weather Service office in Oxnard.

He said the first storm Wednesday night and Thursday morning wound up moving over the Pacific Ocean more than was forecast, and the result was that rainfall on land in the Los Angeles region averaged between half an inch and 1 inch by 7 a.m. Then, a second storm rolled down from Canada and dropped only about a quarter-inch of rain in coastal neighborhoods and valleys. Urban and small-stream flood advisories in parts of Orange, Riverside and San Bernardino counties were then canceled.

It was a different story in the mountains, where between 2 and 8 inches of new snow accumulated and the snow level dipped as low as 2,500 feet, officials said. Wind gusts as strong as 60 mph were recorded in some mountain passes, and travelers were warned to take precautions.

Very strong wind led to the daytime closure of the Mountain High ski resort near Wrightwood and the cancellation of night skiing at Snow Summit in Big Bear on Thursday. Website and telephone messages told skiers to expect reopening today.

The four-room Canyon Creek Inn in Wrightwood was sold out and will be fully occupied for the rest of the week with skiers now counting on the wind to die down, said owner Dominic LaForte . People who ventured to Wrightwood for skiing “just kind of hung out in the room and went up to restaurants,” he said. Roads were passable and hopes were high to get back on the slopes today, he said.

Holiday revelers en route to some sledding fun in the Frazier Park area were trapped in clogged traffic on side roads as some vehicles became stuck on ice, said Stephen Loftus, a CHP communications supervisor.

“We haven’t had any accidents there, just too many cars,” he said. “And everyone wants to go sledding or tubing in the snow.”

The stormy weather contributed to a power outage in the San Fernando Valley that affected more than 15,000 households and businesses Thursday afternoon, according to the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power. Wind knocked down a high voltage line, and the resulting problems and repairs in an underground electrical vault led to a blackout for about 90 minutes for most DWP customers in Van Nuys and Panorama City, said DWP spokeswoman Carol Tucker. About 2,100 still lacked power Thursday night, although repair crews were working to have lights turned on again as soon as possible, she said.

Post-Christmas shoppers and hikers seeking to work off all those cookie calories will have warmer and drier weather during the rest of the long holiday weekend. Temperatures are expected to rise from a high in the upper 50s in downtown Los Angeles today, to the lower 60s Saturday and mid-60s Sunday, the National Weather Service said. No rain is expected.

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larry.gordon@latimes.com