Rain (Lots) on the Horizon

The year’s heaviest rainstorm rolled into Orange County early Tuesday, dropping an average of 1 1/2 inches--with the worst to come today--and causing the death of a motorist who slammed into a guardrail on the Costa Mesa Freeway.

Gerald Silver, 40, of Orange was driving with bald tires and lost control of his car about 4:15 a.m., just before the heavier downpours started, according to the California Highway Patrol. He died on impact when his vehicle hit the rail.

Otherwise, the series of torrents that pelted the Southland for hours caused the typical rainy day fender-benders and slower-than-normal traffic flow during the commute hours.

Some streets in Buena Park were flooded, and when drenched police officers pushed stalled cars out of miniature swamps forming in dips along Beach and Artesia boulevards, other vehicles became stranded, city officials said. Beach Boulevard was closed for several hours.

The rains also flooded several areas in east La Habra, prompting officials to order a voluntary evacuation of four houses and a seven-unit apartment complex, city officials said.

An emergency shelter at the La Habra Community Center was opened temporarily but closed when residents did not arrive. The American Red Cross, however, remained on standby throughout the night in case of further flooding.

In La Palma, a roof collapsed on an industrial building, officials said. No one was injured.

There were no reports of significant damage in flood-prone Laguna Canyon or other areas hard hit by record rainfall in January 1995.

Meteorologist Clay Morgan of the National Weather Service said the worst is expected today when the storm, which is drifting southward toward San Diego, is expected to dump another 2 inches near coastal Orange County.

It may drop as much as 5 inches in the mountains by the end of Thursday, Morgan said, before the precipitation tapers off to sporadic showers by Friday.

“The way it’s going, this storm will surpass what were the larger rainfalls of the year easily,” he said.

According to Morgan, the portions of Orange County that will bear the brunt of today’s rain will be those areas near the Santa Ana Mountains. Because winds near the mountains shoot upward, greater water pressure exists in storm clouds hovering over those areas, he said.

“The storm has been hitting the mountain areas hard all over Southern California,” he said. “People living near the Santa Anas should see a lot.”

Local farmers, relieved that the initial downpours bruised only a portion of their fragile strawberries, anxiously watched the clouds all day Tuesday, worried that much more rain could jeopardize this season’s harvest.

Much of the county’s $40-million strawberry crop already has been “softened” by moisture, a spokesman for Orange County growers and farmers said.

“Right now our biggest concern is farmers not being able to go out there and harvest their crops,” said Bob Wyatt, of the Orange County Farm Bureau. “We may lose a round of picking if this keeps up.”

If the predicted downpour is significant, Wyatt added, fields already soggy from earlier torrents will start to back up.

“We’re keeping our fingers crossed.”

County government workers, meanwhile, prepared for the worst by clearing debris from storm drains to ensure a smooth flow of urban runoff to the ocean.

“We usually find trash down there that we didn’t know existed before,” said Tom Connelie, a manager of the county public works operations.

Added Larry Honeybourne, a county health administrator: “It’s important to remind people not to swim in parts of the ocean that are near those storm drains. Urban runoff has many bacterias floating around in it.”

People, especially surfers, love to take advantage of larger ocean swells caused by storms, he said. But, “health-wise, it’s a real bad idea,” he said.

Elsewhere on Tuesday, the rain caused an afternoon collision between two school buses at Pico Boulevard and Beverly Drive in West Los Angeles, and a chain reaction Golden State Freeway pile-up damaged a Range Rover driven by pop music star Barry Manilow.

Two middle school students and a bus driver suffered minor injuries and were treated at local hospitals after the two school buses collided in what Diana Munatones, spokeswoman for the Los Angeles Unified School District, called “a weather-related accident.”

However, the San Gabriel Valley and Ventura and Santa Barbara counties bore the brunt of the downpour, reporting four to five inches of rainfall in some areas in the 24 hours before 4 p.m. Tuesday.

Times staff writers Thao Hua and David Reyes contributed to this report.

(BEGIN TEXT OF INFOBOX / INFOGRAPHIC)

Rain Pains

Rain can cause expensive problems in two places where we spend a lot of time. How to help avoid trouble:

IN YOUR CAR

* Allow extra space; normal stopping distance is two to three times more than on dry pavement

* If your car goes into a skid and you have an antilock brake system, apply brakes with hard, steady pressure, allowing system to engage

* Without ABS, pump brakes to avoid skidding and losing control

* Drive in center lanes; most roadways are built to allow water to flow to the sides

* If deep puddles are unavoidable, drive slowly and steadily; sudden speed change may splatter engine with water and stop it

* If intersection water reaches middle of hubcap, look for an alternative

* Headlights help other motorists see your vehicle

* To avoid problems with interior moisture, use defroster to clear windshield

* Make sure tires have adequate tread and are inflated to proper air pressure

* Replace skipping or streaking windshield wipers

* Make sure wiper-washer reservoir is filled; other vehicles may splash oil and mud on your windows

AROUND THE HOUSE

* Sandbags can help divert rising water; if no sand is available, fill plastic trash or grocery bags with dirt. When rain stops, put dirt back in your garden

* If your roof leaks, anchor large plastic trash bag or painting dropcloth directly over leak

* If your yard floods, dig a channel from the yard into the street that can help drain runoff before it builds and causes real damage

* Make sure ravines and storm drains around your property are clear

* If you have a swimming pool, drain it about two to three inches to avoid overflow

Sources: Automobile Club of Southern California, California Highway Patrol, Orange County Fire Authority; Researched by DAVID REYES / Los Angeles Times