Rain Lashes Valley in First Storm of Season : Weather: It was a wet welcome for fall as an unusually early dousing caused power outages and traffic snarls.

Although fall officially began almost two weeks ago, residents of the San Fernando Valley did not get their first taste of it until Tuesday when the season’s first rainstorm hit.

Less than an inch of rain fell in the Valley by Tuesday afternoon, but that was still more than had fallen by this point in the season for the past three years, according to Weather Data meteorologist Curtis Brack.

“It is really kind of early in the season for rain,” Brack said. “You usually don’t expect these kind of storms until late December or early January.”

Most parts of Los Angeles County got less than an inch of rain by early Tuesday evening, with Newhall receiving about half an inch and Woodland Hills only a quarter of an inch, Brack said. The most recent heavy rainfall on an Oct. 4 was in 1987, when more than four inches fell on Burbank and almost six inches in Canoga Park.

No serious weather-related accidents were reported, but there were problems with a flooded freeway, a power outage in Burbank, and boulders that blocked freeway lanes in Newhall.

By nightfall, the westbound Ventura Freeway was flooded at Haskell Avenue and Laurel Canyon Boulevard in Studio City, according to a California Highway Patrol officer.

“There is not a whole lot Caltrans can do right now,” said CHP Officer Kerri Hawkins. “They just wait until it stops raining.”

The rain-related power outage in Burbank interrupted service Tuesday afternoon to about 600 businesses and 6,700 residents. The 1:30 p.m. blackout occurred in an area bounded by Victory and Magnolia boulevards and Hollywood Way, said Ron Stassi, spokesman for the city’s power company.

In Newhall, two 18-inch boulders rolled down the hillside of the Golden State Freeway connector road to the Antelope Valley Freeway and blocked a lane for about an hour, authorities said.

As the wet season begins, CHP officials advise drivers to prepare their cars for rain. Commuters should check the tread on their tires, replace old windshield wipers, and properly inflate their tires, the CHP said.

“There is a direct correlation between over-inflated tires and hydroplaning speed,” said CHP officer Woody Tweed. “The more air you put in your tires, the greater speed you can do before you hydroplane.”

Elsewhere, the rain’s effects were welcomed.

At the Upstart Crow bookstore and coffeehouse at Universal CityWalk, customers jammed into the tiny store to escape the cold weather and warm themselves with a cup of java.

“We were fuller than usual,” said cashier Mario Novoa, 18. “We sold more coffee and cappuccinos than ever.”

Needless to say, the store’s chic patio was empty.

“It was very crowded and we had to bring in the tables from outside,” Novoa said.

Rhoda Lambert of North Hollywood also welcomed the rain, if only to give her red and yellow rosebushes a break from the summer’s heat.

“The rain is wonderful,” Lambert said. “It helps fill out the hedge trees and makes my garden fresh and pretty.”