Storm Soaks S.D.; More Rain Expected

An Alaskan storm raged into San Diego County on Monday, bringing unseasonably low temperatures, gusty winds that caused power blackouts, and snow high on the mountains.

One man died when a small fishing boat sank off Point Loma.

The temperature dropped during the day, reaching a high of 61 at Lindbergh Field at 9 a.m. and dropping to 54 by 1:30 p.m., the National Weather Service reported. Overnight temperatures were expected to drop to the low 50s in San Diego and into the high 20s in some mountain areas.

“It is surprising that the temperature didn’t go up during the day,” said meteorologist Wilbur Shigehara. “The storm is expected to continue today with more showers and windy conditions.”

By 8 p.m. the storm had dumped 1.64 inches of rain in the county, bringing the season total to 2.13. The normal total for this time of year is 0.98 inches. The weather service predicted 1 to 1 1/2 more inches of rain for today.

Monday’s cold rain, which was accompanied by chilly winds, prompted the season’s first appearance of umbrellas and raincoats--and chains in the local mountains.

The storm was just as tough on the rest of Southern California, with flash-flood watches issued for Santa Barbara and Ventura counties. Snow forced the closure of Interstate 5 in the mountains north of Los Angeles, and California 33 near Ojai was closed by rock slides.

In San Diego County, snow was reported at the 5,000-foot level at Mt. Laguna, Palomar Mountain and Julian. A dispatcher at the San Diego County Emergency Operations Center said that chains were required on Palomar Mountain above 5,000 feet. County officials reported a slide at Del Dios Highway, near Lake Hodges, but there were no reports of injuries or serious damage.

San Diego Fire Department officials reported “minor slides” in Normal Heights, where canyons remain denuded after the massive brush fire in July that destroyed dozens of homes.

Thousands of people from Fallbrook to Imperial Beach were left without electricity for several hours as a result of spot outages, said Dave Smith, a San Diego Gas & Electric spokesman. San Diego State University was among the areas hit by a power blackout, forcing university officials to cancel classes after 1 p.m.

Smith said that 35 circuits shorted out in the county because of the wind and falling trees and branches. By 6 p.m., crews had repaired all but eight of the circuits, but another downpour about 7 p.m. caused shorts in seven others. In all, more than 60,000 county homes were without power at some time during the day, Smith said.

Numerous fender benders were reported on the slick roads and highways, but there were no major traffic accidents. Minor flooding was reported in several cities and parts of the county. Quarry Road in Spring Valley was closed after a section of it was flooded by a foot of water, county officials said.

El Camino Real, a major north-south street running through Encinitas and Leucadia, was flooded by as much as 18 inches of water at some points. Water was flowing over curbs and sidewalks in the low-lying beach areas, and puddles inundated numerous entrances to Interstate 5.

The National Weather Service issued a gale warning early Monday morning, after winds gusted to 43 m.p.h. in San Diego and Mission bays. The San Diego Harbor and Mission Bay Harbor patrols reported that many of the boats anchored in both bays were torn loose from docks and slammed into rocks, causing minor damage to the vessels. The warning was lifted at 10 a.m., when the wind fell to 15 to 25 m.p.h.

A 69-year-old man died when the 40-foot fishing boat he was in sank off Point Loma Monday afternoon, the Coast Guard said.

Frank Crivello, whose address was unknown, drowned two miles off the coast when the Colomba was hit by a large wave in heavy seas and capsized, according to the Coast Guard and the San Diego County coroner’s office.

A Coast Guard cutter was dispatched to the scene and found a man identified as Pete Giacallone clinging to debris from the boat. Giacallone, whose age and address were not available Monday, suffered a slight head injury and was taken to Sharp Cabrillo Hospital, where he was reported in guarded condition. Crivello’s body was seen in the ocean and retrieved by the crew aboard a Coast Guard helicopter.

Shigehara said the rain will diminish to occasional showers on Wednesday. The county should begin drying out by Wednesday afternoon, but the clear skies will also produce cool temperatures and frost in the outlying areas of East and North County on Thursday, he said.

The storm originated in Alaska last week and has worked its way south throughout the Northwest and California. The low-pressure area was centered over Central California on Monday and dumped rain as far north as Monterey County. The low-pressure area is expected to hover over Southern California today before it continues to move in a southerly direction.

Elsewhere in Southern California, a flash-flood watch was issued in Ventura and Santa Barbara counties, where July’s raging brush fires denuded thousands of acres. The flood watch was to continue into the evening because of anticipated heavy thundershowers.

No such warning was posted for the Malibu area, where arson-caused blazes devastated the hillsides several weeks ago and where the heavy runoff caused several small mud and rock slides that were cleared quickly.

In Los Angeles, the overnight and morning rainfall totaled 0.82 of an inch, the National Weather Service said, bringing the season total to 1.43 inches, compared to a normal to date of 1.16.

Interstate 5 was closed just north of San Fernando on Monday morning because of snow at the higher elevations along the Ridge Route. The major artery to the San Joaquin Valley was reopened by late morning.

But snow flurries and strong, gusty winds resumed at midafternoon, prompting the California Highway Patrol to advise drivers of campers and trailers against using the freeway. Snowplows and other heavy equipment were called in, and CHP Officer Dan Loughrey said it looked as if the interstate might have to be shut down again.

“It’s not looking good for travelers,” he said.

Snow was falling down to the 3,000-foot level in the Antelope Valley, reducing visibility sharply in the Mojave Desert near Edwards Air Force Base.

The CHP warned of drifting snow on Angeles Crest Highway in the San Gabriel Mountains. Snow was expected to continue falling Monday night in the mountains, as well as in the higher desert areas. A winter storm warning was issued for both regions, and the weather service said travel was expected to be “extremely hazardous” in both regions.

The storm dropped several feet of snow across the Sierra Nevada as the wet and windy weather spread to the Rockies. In the Lake Tahoe area, two to three feet of snow fell by early Monday morning. There were even heavier amounts at higher elevations.

At Reno, where the low reading of 8 degrees set a record for the date, the runway at Reno Cannon International Airport was finally cleared after more than 100 flights were canceled on Sunday. At total of 15 inches fell there in 24 hours.

State meteorologist John James said the storm was “shattering records all to pieces.”

But Sierra ski resort operators were happy. A rental shop manager at a ski resort in Soda Springs, Nev., said, “As soon as the roads open, we’re open.”

The prospects for sailors and hikers were more ominous. A 52-year-old Hacienda Heights man, Jerry Warila, was found in his small skiff 15 to 20 miles south of Avalon after high winds blew him out to sea as he attempted to row out to his yacht anchored in the Santa Catalina Island harbor at midnight Sunday.

Coast Guard Petty Officer Michael Foster said Warila was picked up about 4 p.m. Monday by the Navy oiler Wabash, incoherent and suffering from hypothermia. He was taken by Coast Guard helicopter to the Navy Hospital in San Diego.

Searches were under way for several hikers and hunters caught by the snow in the mountains from the Sierra to the San Gabriels.

SAN DIEGO RAINFALL (as of 8 p.m. at Lindbergh Field) Rainfall past 24 hours (inches)..1.64 Total rainfall this month........1.64 Total rainfall since July 1......2.13 Total for this date last year.... .80 Normal rainfall to this date..... .98