Southland Weathers Another Drenching : Storm: Four people are killed in traffic accidents; some Studio City homes are evacuated because of a mudslide. Rainfall totals 2.35 inches in 24 hours.

An intense, blustery storm drenched Southern California for a second straight day Friday, contributing to at least four traffic deaths, fraying the nerves of hillside residents and delivering a touch of winter to springtime Los Angeles.

In downtown Los Angeles, 2.35 inches of rain fell between 4 p.m. Thursday and 4 p.m. Friday. The storm also dumped up to a foot of snow in the mountains, where ski resort managers predicted large weekend crowds.

Through it all, the wind blew--sometimes gusting up to 30 m.p.h.--and temperatures stayed chilly. The highest reading Friday at the Los Angeles Civic Center was 61 degrees--9 degrees below normal for the fifth day of spring.

“The storm packed a big punch before it moved east into the desert,” said Steve Burback, a meteorologist with WeatherData, which provides forecasts for The Times. The bulk of the storm moved into southern Nevada and Arizona on Friday afternoon, leaving scattered rain, clouds and strong desert winds in its wake.

Burback predicted that another, weaker storm would hit the region late this afternoon, with about a 40% chance of showers tonight and early Sunday. Skies should clear by Sunday afternoon, Burback said, with generally dry weather through next Wednesday.

One of the storm-related traffic deaths involved a 25-year-old man whose truck crashed through a freeway guardrail and plunged 70 feet into the rain-swollen Los Angeles River, according to the California Highway Patrol. The victim’s name was withheld pending notification of next of kin.

The CHP said the truck toppled into the river Thursday night after colliding with a car on the Golden State Freeway north of downtown Los Angeles. The vehicle was swept about 1 1/2 miles downstream. The river’s strong currents prevented firefighters from recovering the vehicle and the man’s body until 8 a.m. Friday.

Adam Ambrose, 6, was fatally injured late Thursday night when the car he was riding in spun out of control, overturned and was struck by two vehicles on the Golden State Freeway, the CHP said.

Officers said the boy’s mother, Christine Ambrose, 28, of Carmichael was headed south on the freeway north of Western Avenue when her car apparently hit a puddle, spun and overturned. A car traveling south on the freeway struck the passenger side of Ambrose’s auto, forcing it into the next lane of traffic, where another car struck the vehicle.

The boy was pronounced dead at St. Joseph Medical Center in Burbank. Seven people, including Christine Ambrose and her two other sons, suffered minor injuries.

Dozens of other accidents occurred on rain-slick pavement throughout the region, the CHP said.

Two people were killed when their car crashed Thursday evening on California 126 near Fillmore in Ventura County. A 10-car pileup blocked the westbound lanes of the Ventura Freeway in Glendale for several hours Friday, but there were no serious injuries, the CHP said.

A helicopter crew rescued a man and a dog stranded on a sandbar in Malibu Creek late Thursday, said county fire Inspector Joel Harrison. Colt Elswick, 48, and the dog were unhurt.

Hillside homeowners in Studio City and Agoura Hills kept a watchful eye as more rain pelted the saturated earth behind their houses, threatening to set off more mudslides.

A small landslide in Agoura Hills this week caused about 10 feet of earth movement behind one home, but authorities said no buildings were in imminent danger. Nonetheless, Los Angeles County firefighters shored up the area with sandbags and remained on the scene.

Officials warned that several homes in Studio City may suffer more damage because of a sliding hill. Some residents were evacuated Tuesday because a 300-foot-wide chunk of hillside began to give way behind six homes.

The latest storm dropped the first significant rainfall on Southern California since late February. Almost 18 inches of rain fell on Los Angeles in January and February, but less than a tenth of an inch had fallen in March before the storm arrived Thursday.

Friday’s rainfall brought the season’s total in downtown Los Angeles to 28.09 inches. Last season’s total at this time was 20.09 inches. The normal total for the date is 13.2 inches.

Southland Rain Watch Rainfall figures for the 24-hour period ending at 4 p.m. yesterday. Season totals and norms are based on precipitation from July 1 to date. L.A. BASIN

REGION PRECIPITATION IN INCHES 24-Hour Storm Season Season Total Total* Total Norm Avalon/Catalina 0.90 1.06 19.56 10.68 Long Beach 1.56 1.63 23.04 9.26 L.A. Civic Center 2.35 2.46 26.30 13.20 L.A. Int’l Airport 1.34 1.45 22.99 10.42 UCLA 2.02 2.41 31.69 14.60

VALLEYS/CANYONS

REGION PRECIPITATION IN INCHES 24-Hour Storm Season Season Total Total* Total Norm Northridge 1.91 2.12 15.57 NA Pasadena 3.54 3.54 33.12 17.37 Riverside 0.78 0.78 19.99 8.85 San Bernardino 0.50 0.50 19.96 14.13 San Gabriel NA 0.00 31.55 15.14 Santa Clarita 2.07 2.07 28.10 15.18

ORANGE COUNTY

REGION PRECIPITATION IN INCHES 24-Hour Storm Season Season Total Total* Total Norm San Juan Cap. 1.51 1.51 24.15 NA Santa Ana 1.14 1.14 22.15 10.99

SAN DIEGO COUNTY

REGION PRECIPITATION IN INCHES 24-Hour Storm Season Season Total Total* Total Norm Oceanside 0.82 0.82 14.58 8.91 San Diego 0.82 0.82 17.50 8.60

SOUTHLAND MOUNTAINS

REGION PRECIPITATION IN INCHES 24-Hour Storm Season Season Total Total* Total Norm Big Bear Lake 0.12 0.12 38.60 20.12 Mt. Wilson 3.55 3.75 55.00 30.64

DESERTS

REGION PRECIPITATION IN INCHES 24-Hour Storm Season Season Total Total* Total Norm Bishop 0.00 0.07 2.05 4.65 Palm Springs Trace 0.00 12.42 5.50

SANTA BARBARA/VENTURA

REGION PRECIPITATION IN INCHES 24-Hour Storm Season Season Total Total* Total Norm Ojai 3.25 3.79 40.84 18.06 Oxnard NA 1.45 17.38 12.69 Point Mugu 0.83 1.39 20.39 NA Santa Barbara 1.17 2.08 19.15 14.68 Santa Paula 2.40 3.91 25.42 15.30 Ventura 1.32 4.04 26.38 12.18

SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY

REGION PRECIPITATION IN INCHES 24-Hour Storm Season Season Total Total* Total Norm Bakersfield NA 0.25 8.30 4.81

NA indicates figures not available. In other cases, some totals may be incomplete because of missing station reports.

* Amount of rainfall since the last zero-precipitation day.

SOURCE: National Weather Service and WeatherData Inc.