Rain Drenches Southland, Causes Mudslide, Blackout

A Pacific storm rolled into the Southland on Sunday, abruptly replacing spring-like weather with rain and snow that is expected to drench the area today and Tuesday.

The National Weather Service issued a winter storm warning for the mountains north of the San Bernardino range, and predicted heavy snow at the 5,000-foot level for tonight.

Forecasters expect up to two inches of rain over much of the Los Angeles Basin, and as much as five inches in coastal and mountain areas before the storm moves east and the sky clears late Tuesday or early Wednesday.

“This looks like a pretty good system we’re looking at, with clearing not likely before Wednesday,” said Steve Burback, a forecaster with WeatherData Inc., which provides weather information to The Times.

On Sunday, the storm triggered mudslides and may have been partly to blame for one traffic fatality--the driver of a car that struck an ambulance, authorities said.

Winds knocked down power lines in North Hollywood, blacking out about 800 homes and businesses, according to the Department of Water and Power.

Los Angeles police closed streets surrounding the Sepulveda Basin on Sunday night as a precaution against flooding, and hoped to have them open by this morning. Roads closed included Burbank Boulevard between the Golden State Freeway and Balboa Boulevard. Woodley Avenue was shut down between Burbank and Victory boulevards.

High water slowed traffic on several freeways Sunday night, including the Long Beach Freeway at Alondra Boulevard and the Harbor Freeway at the Century Freeway overpass.

Sliding mud and rocks shut down the northbound Topanga Canyon Boulevard near the township of Topanga in the late afternoon, snarling traffic on the main artery between Malibu and Woodland Hills.

Heavy fog prompted authorities to issue an overnight travel advisory for Interstate 5 through the Grapevine and Interstate 15 through Cajon Pass.

Forecasters said the brunt of the rain was expected by midday today, and warned that it could be heavy enough to cause more flooding and slides in areas saturated from last month’s 13 days of rain.

The current storm is expected to add to the 17.2 inches of precipitation accumulated this year--twice the normal amount, and nearly three times last year’s figure.

Police said the traffic-related fatality occurred Sunday evening at the rain-slick intersection near Harbor City, when a car collided with an ambulance that had just left Harbor-UCLA Medical Center.

The victim, whose identity was not available, was pronounced dead at the hospital. Two paramedics in the van suffered minor injuries, authorities said.

The latest rainfall arrived less than a week after the DWP announced that the drought that plagued the city for six years had ended with last month’s record rain and snowfall.

DWP surveys of the Sierra snowpack showed “encouraging” results for the first time since 1986, Jerry Gewe, the DWP’s director of water resource planning told reporters last week. The water content levels there measured an average 13% above normal.

But the state Department of Water Resources has not declared California’s dry spell over. Its survey of the Northern California snowpack is due next week.

Times staff writer Julie Tamaki contributed to this story.