Palomar Mountain Area Braces for More Slides

Firefighters, inmates, volunteers and others joined with property owners Friday in cleaning up the mud-soaked debris from a storm-ravaged area near Palomar Mountain even as forecasters were predicting that another major rainstorm will hit this weekend.

Many workers were out putting sandbags along property lines in an effort to channel the anticipated tide of mud.

Authorities reported that various roads closed in the wake of Thursday’s storm were reopened Friday, although a portion of California 76 remained closed for cleanup purposes.

Meanwhile, forecasters added more bad news: a storm originally forecast to arrive Sunday is now expected to reach San Diego County today, bringing with it a 60% to 70% chance of showers.

One to three inches of rainfall is expected in the Palomar Mountain area through the weekend, according to National Weather Service forecaster Wilbur Shigehara. The rain’s early arrival, Shigehara said, can be attributed to an intensified and rapidly moving storm.

“We’re seeing stronger-than-expected high level winds bringing in moisture from Hawaii faster than we anticipated,” Shigehara said.

Coastal and inland areas throughout the county can expect about a half-inch to an inch and half of rain through Sunday, Shigehara said.

The recent nine-day forest fire that raged on and near Palomar Mountain-- blackening 16,100 acres--has left vast stretches of empty forest land vulnerable to mud slides.

In the Palomar area, a joint sandbagging effort by the California Department of Forestry and the Yuima Municipal Water District got under way Friday morning in preparation for the anticipated rainfall, said Anton Provaznik, a CDF information officer.

About 45 inmates from the Rainbow Honor Camp correctional facility, joined by water district personnel and firefighters, worked all day Friday, mostly on private property, to try to protect against flooding and mud slides, he said. The inmates worked in three hand-crews of 15 people each.

“We do not have a legal responsibility (except to fight fires) but we feel we have a moral obligation to protect citizens from the threat of possible flooding,” Provaznik said.

Assisting in the effort were five fire engines and two bulldozers, which were used to clear debris.

Most of the sandbags were supplied by the water district, which covers a portion of North County. At the Rincon forestry station on California 76, about 20 area residents stopped by to pick up sandbags to use on their property, workers there reported.

Only one small portion of California 76 remained closed Friday as a result of Thursday’s storm, which brought nearly an inch of rain to the area, a Caltrans spokeswoman said.

At 1 p.m., Caltrans crews closed one lane of California 76 at Rincon Rancho Road to clear the road’s drainage system of timber and other debris from Thursday’s mud slides. A crane was used to pick up the largest pieces of debris, which slid into the ditch alongside the roadway after water ran down the mountain.

The section of road remained closed most of the day, although all county-maintained roads remain open.

Clearing Culverts

Meanwhile, Cole Grade Road is expected to be closed if heavy rains cause flooding from the San Luis Rey River, which runs from Lake Henshaw through Pauma Valley, said Hank Blankinship, a county roads official.

A crew permanently stationed at Mount Palomar has been busy clearing culverts and maintaining the drainage system, he added. Throughout the area, he said, there was fear of the coming storm.

The anticipated storm will be accompanied by winds gusting to 15 m.p.h. to 25 m.p.h., which are expected to pick up speed in mountain and desert regions, said Shigehara, the National Weather Service forecaster.

Despite the rain, temperatures will continue to be mild through Sunday, according to WeatherData, which provides forecasts for The Times.

The high today is expected to hit 69 degrees at Lindbergh Field, with an overnight low of 64, according to WeatherData.

Coastal highs will range from 60 to 69 degrees, with lows in the 58- to 60-degree range. Surf of three to four feet is expected on most beaches, though it may reach six feet on southwest facing beaches. The ocean temperature is about 64.

Inland valleys will have highs topping 70 through Sunday, with lows dropping to 58 at night.

Highs in the mountains are expected to reach 57, with lows falling to 45 through Sunday. In the desert, the high will be about 81, with a low of about 62.