First El Nino Storm Ready to Move In

If you want an early white Christmas, this may be the weekend to hit the mountains. But if you don’t want to bring home a soaked Christmas tree, you’d better buy it by tonight.

A storm “spinning like a top” and gathering strength about 700 miles offshore Wednesday is expected to pound the Southland from Friday well into the weekend, said John Sherwin, a meteorologist for WeatherData, which provides forecasts for The Times.

It may be the first true El Nino storm of the season, and it “looks pretty impressive,” Sherwin said. Earlier storms, like the brief but powerful downpours last week and the remnants of Hurricane Nora that drenched the Southland in September, were steered toward Southern California by El Nino, but they weren’t generated by the much-discussed meteorological phenomenon.

This storm, Sherwin said, is different.

“Right now, there’s strong high pressure over the Northwest, undercut by a subtropical jet stream. That’s definitely an El Nino pattern.”

Storm-generated surf up to 15 feet is expected to start hammering the Central California coast by Friday, Sherwin said. As the storm moves down the coast, the high surf will move with it.

Coastal flooding and wave damage to oceanfront structures are possible, forecasters say. The storm also is expected to bring up to a foot of snow in the high mountains.

At the aptly named El Nino Christmas Trees in Santa Ana, the forecast had workers scrambling to pitch tents and spread wood chips on the dirt lot packed with trees.

“We’ll be ready,” owner Demetrio Bazan said. “The trees will be OK. They’re from Washington. It rains up there a lot.”

Mud, minor floods, slick roads and all the other side effects of wet weather can be expected in the next few days. While skiers and surfers may be enthused to see snow and big waves, the churning conditions are not a welcome sight for emergency workers.

Orange County fire officials were keeping close tabs on the looming storm, and crews that were stationed in wildfire areas during dry conditions a few months ago have been shifted to rapid-water rescue duty. Danger spots such as the Santa Ana River will be monitored, and a helicopter will be on standby, Fire Capt. Scott Brown said.

Brown urged residents to stay clear of flood channels and waterways. The death of two San Gabriel High School students who ventured into the Alhambra Wash during a storm last week illustrates how the channels can become “drowning machines” in sudden, heavy rains, he said.

California Highway Patrol Officer Bruce Mauldin reminded drivers to check the quality of their windshield wipers and tires, keep a safe distance behind other drivers and slow down in soggy weather.

A weakening cold front ahead of the storm is expected to drop a few sprinkles on Southern California today.