Storm, Commuters Collide : Rain Turns Rush Hour Into Wreck Hour; Tornado Hits San Clemente Neighborhood

The last big wallop of a winter storm soaked Orange County on Tuesday morning, tangling rush-hour traffic in a series of stalls and wrecks and causing a tornado that blasted through a quiet San Clemente neighborhood, toppling a street light and a grove of eucalyptus trees.

The whirling funnel danced past the expensive homes on Avenida de la Paz about 11:30 a.m. without touching them, delivering a breathtaking few moments for spectators.

“It was like a big long funnel, dark gray, just spinning like mad,” said Shirley Folmer, 71, who watched from her large front window. “It looked like it was coming right at our house. It scared me to death.”

The street was closed for most of the day as work crews, called back from their holiday, removed huge tree limbs and repaired the light pole.

One of the biggest downpours hit the area about 10 a.m. On surface roads, gutters gushed with more water than the drains could handle, and scores of cars swerved to avoid small lakes of standing water. With their hubcaps all but submerged, they slowed to a crawl around corners to avoid stalling, or made exceptionally wide turns. Uphill drivers on windy roads in South County reported sheets of water pouring down the streets toward their cars.

Lt. Jay Mendez, watch commander at the Orange County sheriff’s station in Laguna Niguel, said deputies had a busy morning responding to traffic accidents throughout south Orange County.

“In our area, we have had seven accidents in three hours,” Mendez said. “That is a bit high for us. And they are scattered all over.” None of the accidents caused injuries, he said.

By 8 a.m., the Orange County Fire Department was receiving reports of collisions with injuries every 10 minutes. The California Highway Patrol had a busy morning too, responding to a series of wrecks, none with serious injuries.

“They have not learned yet,” said CHP Officer Robert Polzin of drivers who do not slow down in the rain. “There have been quite a few fender-benders.”

On Orange County freeways, the storm flooded lanes and ramps, forcing closures in more than half a dozen places, some at the already troubled rush hour. Among the hardest hit was the eastbound Garden Grove Freeway in Garden Grove, where one or more lanes were closed in two places for several hours at peak traffic times.

Morning commuters on the San Diego Freeway near El Toro had to slow considerably as torrents of rain pounded windshields, reducing visibility to almost nothing.

Marlene Wheeler of Anaheim maneuvered her gold Volvo onto the Brookhurst Street on-ramp to the eastbound Riverside Freeway on Tuesday morning before realizing it was too flooded to get through. Forced to abandon her stalled car to call a tow truck, she removed her sneakers and waded through rainwater that reached past her ankles.

Weather forecasters said Tuesday morning’s downpour represented the last big hit of the storm, although a chance of showers will persist through this morning. Rick Dittmann, a meteorologist for WeatherData Inc., which provides forecasts for The Times, said the precipitation was created by moist, subtropical air that moved in from the eastern Pacific and a cold front that moved south from the Gulf of Alaska.

Gray but rainless skies were expected Thursday and New Year’s Day. Temperatures today through Friday should be in the high 50s and low to mid-60s, with overnight lows in the 30s and 40s.

In the 24 hours that ended at 4 p.m. Tuesday, El Toro received 1.24 inches of rain, WeatherData reported. Anaheim got 0.53 of an inch in that period, Santa Ana 0.52, San Juan Capistrano 0.41 and Newport Beach 0.40 of an inch, according to WeatherData.

Santiago Peak, Orange County’s highest spot at about 5,500 feet, received 2.24 inches of rain in that 12-hour period, said Mel Newman of the county’s Environmental Management Agency. Santiago, nestled against the Riverside County line at the summit of Saddleback, received some snow, too, but it melted quickly, officials said.

Most of the county’s rain fell in the eastern mountains and foothills. Bill Reiter, the county’s public works operations manager, said he had a heavy concentration of workers in Orange Park Acres, in the hills east of Orange. They were clearing leaves and other debris from drains and strategically placing sandbags to help channel the rainwater that cascaded down many streets in the neighborhood, he said.

A creek that runs through the area swelled with the rain and tossed a foot of water onto Meads Avenue, which crosses the creek, Reiter said. The street was closed for a while until the waters receded, he said.

Times staff writer Eric Young contributed to this story.

A Survivor’s Guide to Driving in the Rain With the threat of rain continuing this week, here are some tips that can help motorists better navigate Orange County’s wet roads. Preparing for a Rainy Day Check tires. Under-inflated or balding tires provide less traction. Check battery condition. Old or weak battery may not start car in wet or cold weather. Make sure cables are clean and connections tight. Check wiper condition. Replace if they leave streaks or skip across windshield. See that car is well-tuned. Poorly tuned cars may have engine electrical problems during rain. Keep gas tank full, in case of delays. Recovering from a Skid At speeds of more than 50 m.p.h., a car’s tires may leave the road surface and ride on a layer of water. This is called hydroplaning, and it causes cars to skid easily. Good tire tread and proper inflation help prevent hydroplaning. Rear-Wheel Drive Turn wheels into skid. Don’t brake suddenly. Instead, gently pump brakes to regain control. As car recovers, straighten out wheels gently. Front-Wheel Drive Turn wheels away from skid. Don’t brake. Instead, accelerate gently. As car recovers straighten out wheels gently. Before Leaving Home Check TV or radio for traffic reports. Call work to see if people are being excused because of traffic congestion. Leave earlier to have extra time in case of accidents or delay. On the Road Use defroster, once engine has warmed, to keep windows clear. Drive more slowly; leave more room between cars. It takes longer to stop on wet roads. Drive carefully. Use signals; look before changing lanes. Use headlights to be seen better. On surface streets, drive along center of road. Water collects near curbs. Avoid puddles. If they’re unavoidable, drive slowly and steadily. Driving fast or changing speeds may push water up under hood and kill engine. When emerging from puddles, tap brakes a few times to dry them. Road Conditions by Phone Call 1 (800) 427-Road for up-to-date road conditions. Using a touch-tone phone, punch any state route number, such as 5 for the I-5. A message will list problems, or there may be no message if the road is problem free. Rainfall Tally In inches, 24 hours ending 4 p.m. Tuesday Anaheim: 0.53 El Toro: 1.24 Newport Beach: 0.40 San Juan Capistrano: 0.41 Santa Ana: 0.52 Trouble Spots and Alternatives Routes In the map below are two suggested paths, one around the “Orange Crush” and the other circumventing the Costa Mesa-Santa Ana freeways interchange. Best Bet Use the San Diego Freeway for north-south travel. Flooding has not been a problem. Southbound 1. Exit at Chapman Avenue. From Orange Freeway, Katella Avenue is an alternate exit. 2. Follow Chapman (or Katella) to Tustin Avenue. 3. Tustin to 4th Street / Irvine Boulevard. 4. Irvine to Red Hill, Jamboree, Culver or Jeffrey, to Santa Ana Freeway. Northbound 1. Exit at Jeffrey Road Culver Drive, Jamboree Road or Red Hill Avenue. Turn toward Irvine Boulevard. 2. Follow Irvine Boulevard to Costa Mesa Freeway. 3. Costa Mesa Freeway to Garden Grove Freeway. 4. Garden Grove Freeway to Santa Ana and Orange freeways. Other Places to Avoid Pacific Coast Highway, between Golden West Street and Warner Avenue. Laguna Canyon Road. It sometimes floods. Carbon Canyon Road. it sometimes has mudslides. Ortega Highway or other one-lane roads without cross streets. No alternative routes available in case accident occurs. Sources: Caltrans; Auto Club of Southern California; California Drivers Handbook; David Rizzo, author of “Freeway Alternatives”; California Highway Patrol; WeatherData; Researched by DANNY SULLIVAN and CATHERINE GEWERTZ / Los Angeles Times