Rain Slows Traffic; More Expected Today

With the fireworks from Friday night’s storm receding, weekend commuters hit Orange County roads on Saturday, but some didn’t get very far.

Slippery streets slowed freeway traffic and stopped some vehicles altogether as disrupted signals and flooding caused fender benders around the county.

The most serious accident was in Costa Mesa, where a semitruck carrying propane gas jackknifed on the San Diego Freeway, authorities said. Paramedics rushed to the scene near Harbor Boulevard about 3:30 p.m., but no injuries were reported.

California Highway Patrol officers shut down the freeway’s three right lanes, snarling traffic for at least three miles, while crews worked to straighten out the truck.

Elsewhere, Orange County residents buttoned their coats and ventured outside as the storm that pelted the region Friday night moved out to sea. As the rain let up, it was also a time for some repair work.

Electrical crews with Southern California Edison continued efforts to restore power to nearly 6,300 customers who found themselves in the dark the night before. By early Saturday evening, only 100 homes in Irvine and Fullerton remained without electricity.

“The crews have been working around the clock,” said Edison spokesman Paul Klein. “They’ve been restoring damaged transformers and replacing wires that were knocked down by the rain.”

The worst areas hit by the blackout were in eastern Orange County and included the Sheriff’s Department’s Emergency Operations Center atop Loma Ridge. Backup generators quickly kicked into gear, keeping computers and radio equipment alive. But deputies had to contend with short bouts of darkness as thunder crashed outside.

“We got hit pretty hard but we came through just fine,” said Sheriff’s Sgt. Bob Wren.

Forecasters warned that another storm is expected to wallop the region again this evening as a trough of low pressure rolls into Southern California for the second time. They predict an inch of rain may fall. The region can also expect showers on Monday.

The recent wet weather--hard on the heels of one of the driest falls and early winters on record--means the region’s weather is returning to normal with the demise of La Nina, according to weather experts.

During El Nino, it’s usually wetter than normal in Southern California; during La Nina, it’s drier, with an extra serving of powerful Santa Ana winds.

“The La Nina weather pattern that left Southern California so dry has eroded, allowing a typical winter pattern to return,” said Amy Talmage, a meteorologist with WeatherData, which provides forecasts for the Times.