First Shower of Season Snarls Traffic

The first storm of the season dropped less than half an inch of rain on downtown Los Angeles on Monday but was blamed for quadrupling traffic accidents and for dirty runoff into the ocean that prompted health warnings for beach-goers.

The California Highway Patrol blamed slick roads and drivers’ disregard of the wet conditions for 289 traffic accidents in Los Angeles County’s Monday morning commute, compared with 76 accidents during the same period last Monday--a 280% increase.

Between 5 a.m. and 9 a.m., the CHP issued six SigAlerts about accidents that each tied up at least two lanes of traffic for two hours or longer. Some of the longest delays were caused by big-rig trucks that overturned or jackknifed on rain-slicked freeways in Arcadia, East Los Angeles, Pacoima and South El Monte, according to the CHP.

The most serious crash occurred on the northbound San Diego Freeway near Manchester Boulevard where a Cypress woman was killed after her car hit a disabled, unoccupied car in the fast lane and was sent spinning out of control, according to the California Highway Patrol.

The woman, identified as Yolanda Phillips, 43, was falling out of her car when she was broadsided by a third car, said CHP Det. Terry Donato. The accident, which backed up traffic for three hours, is still under investigation, he said.

Wet streets and poor visibility were also blamed for a collision near downtown Los Angeles that injured 23 people who were riding a Metropolitan Transportation Authority bus when it collided with a trash truck.

The bus was heading north on Broadway at 4:39 a.m. when it hit a southbound trash truck that apparently tried to make a left turn in front of the bus, according to MTA officials.

Most of the injuries were minor scrapes and bruises and none were life threatening, said Jim Wells, spokesman for the Los Angeles Fire Department. Still, Wells said the 23 passengers were transported to local hospitals for treatment.

Meanwhile, county health officials urged surfers and beach-goers to stay out of the ocean for the next 72 hours, warning that bacteria levels in the waters near storm drains are expected to be high.

Jack Petralia, environmental protection director for the county Department of Health Services, said the first rain of the year usually generates the highest bacteria levels because the rain water flushes out debris and grime that has accumulated in the storm drains all year.

“The first flush is the dirty one,” he said. “This one will be dirty.”

At the Los Angeles Zoo, rain forced the cancellation of the “World of Birds Show,” which features hawks and eagles swooping down from a perch and parrots catching grapes and berries in midair.

Because of the cold temperatures, zoo officials also kept the gerenuks--a small East African antelope--in their barn instead of letting them frolic in their outdoor pen.

The storm, which drifted in from the Pacific Ocean, brought light rain starting about 4:30 a.m. The storm dropped 0.42 of an inch of rain on downtown Los Angeles, 0.17 of an inch in Long Beach and 0.39 of an inch in North Hills, according to weather station reports.

But most of the dark clouds cleared away by noon, and forecasters said the region should get dry weather for the next week.

“There should be no more rain for Southern California,” said Guy Pearson, a meteorologist with WeatherData Inc., which provides forecasts for The Times. “It should stay dry.”