Fury of First Winter Storm Not Over Yet

The first major storm of the winter season continued to harass Southern California with heavy rain and wind-driven snow Friday, blocking two major routes to the north and snarling commuter traffic throughout the Southland.

Forecasters said the cold, dank weather should ease a little today, then intensify again Sunday as the center of the storm moves through.

Orange County, by contrast, suffered few problems Friday. Police and other safety officials said the second day of the rainstorm slowed traffic somewhat in the county but caused very few accidents. But cold temperatures and intermittent rain, coupled with forecasts of more of the same, prompted county officials to keep two National Guard armories in Santa Ana and Fullerton open to shelter the homeless through the weekend.

As much as 5 inches of rain had fallen in some foothill communities in the Southland by Friday evening, flooding numerous surface streets and launching minor mudslides, especially below hillsides denuded in the wind-whipped fires that destroyed or damaged dozens of homes last week.

A winter storm warning continued in effect in the San Gabriel and San Bernardino mountains, with snow falling steadily in most resort areas above 4,000 feet.

Interstate 5, closed on both sides of the Grapevine by snow and ice at 8 p.m. Thursday, did not reopen until about noon Friday. The top of Tejon Pass near Gorman was littered with trucks that jackknifed on the slick pavement, and at least 50 tractor-trailer rigs were stalled on the Grapevine Grade leading up from the San Joaquin Valley.

“It’s not too much fun out there,” California Highway Patrol Officer Chris Black said Friday morning. “Most of these trucks don’t carry chains, so we’ve got to push them over the top.”

U.S. 101 in the San Luis Obispo area reopened at dawn Friday after wet snow closed the road at the 1,500-foot Cuesta Summit shortly before midnight. Stranded motorists clogged motels in San Luis Obispo, Atascadero and Paso Robles.

There were at least 10 storm-related accidents on Interstate 15 in the Cajon Pass area late Thursday and early Friday--at least two of which claimed lives--but the roadway remained open.

Chains were required in many mountain resort areas as winds up to 60 m.p.h. and temperatures in the 20s drove the chill factor down to 30 below zero in some areas.

Several downtown Los Angeles freeways were clogged during the Friday morning rush hour.

But the evening rush hour “went very smoothly,” CHP Officer Bob Weaver said.

“I guess everybody got so tortured in the previous 24 hours that they took everything smoothly and just went home and stayed there,” he said. “We didn’t have any significant problems.”

The storm, which ranged the length of California, struck the northern half of the state with hurricane-force winds Thursday, destroying property, knocking out power to more than 300,000 homes, closing highways, tearing boats and small planes from their moorings and downing thousands of trees.

The frigid winds dropped the chill factor to 15 degrees below zero Thursday night at the scene of a timber fire near Sonora, forcing fire crews to abandon their battle and seek shelter before returning to the fire lines at dawn.

Because of an unusual weather pattern, the heaviest winds were confined to the northern half of the state, while most of the rain and snow fell in the south.

As a result, the storm did little to ease the continuing threat of a statewide drought, according to Bill Helms, a spokesman for the state’s flood and drought center in Sacramento.

“Rain in Southern California at this time of year goes right out into the Pacific,” Helms said. “There are no major water storage facilities in the south except for the dams that store water shipped in from Northern California.”

Two dry winters in a row have caused water levels in major reservoirs to drop in Northern California, and there has been no appreciable rain there since the third week in November.

In Orange County, the CHP and other police agencies reported surprisingly few rain-related accidents and highway jams Friday.

“It’s been almost like a normal day for us,” CHP spokesman Mike Lundquist said. “People out driving seem to have recognized the weather situation and are driving more carefully.”

Orange County Sheriff’s Department spokesman Lt. Richard J. Olson said Friday’s lack of storm-spawned accidents contrasted sharply with Thursday. “Thursday was a disaster area during the rain--the phones were ringing off the hook and we had a hard time keeping up with the accidents,” he said.

But with the cold, wet weather expected to continue, Orange County’s two largest National Guard armories--in Fullerton and Santa Ana--will remain open through the weekend for people seeking shelter. The armories can house a combined total of 250 people, county officials said.

The Santa Ana armory at 612 E. Warner Ave. will reopen tonight at 6:30, while the Fullerton facility at 400 S. Brookhurst St. will open at 6 p.m. Lodgers must leave the shelters by 7:30 the following morning, according to Dianne Edwards, director of adult and employment services for the county Social Services Agency.

While skies in the north cleared Friday, forecasters said Southern California is expected to remain cold, cloudy and wet for a while longer.

“I see a chance of showers again Saturday in Orange County, but not as much precipitation as you’ve had there in the past two days,” said David Beusterien, a meteorologist with WeatherData Inc., which provides forecasts for The Times. “The rain is likely to increase once again Sunday in Orange County, then taper off Sunday night. There should be a clearing by Monday.”

Beusterien said the storm was centered about 80 miles northwest of Point Conception on Friday evening, spinning off bands of moisture that rotated counterclockwise around the main body of the low-pressure weather system before heading inland.

Times staff writer Bill Billiter contributed to this report from Orange County.