Storm causes accidents and delays

GLENDALE — Heavy rain left city streets slick and caused some accidents and traffic delays Friday, and weather officials expected the rain to continue today.

Showers are expected to continue for most of today and last until Sunday morning, when they will eventually taper off, said meteorologist Mike Wofford of the National Weather Service.

“There will be some periods of heavy rain,” he said.

But Friday’s rainstorm did not cure the Southland’s drought-like conditions, Wofford said. It is still too early to tell whether the latest rainstorm had any effect on the drought, he said.

The weather service issued a flash-flood warning Friday for recently burned areas in the canyons and foothills, Wofford said.

Friday’s rain also caused major delays on highways.

A two-car crash about 11 a.m. on the west Ventura (134) Freeway at Glendale Avenue slowed traffic, but no one was injured, said Officer Andre Primeaux of the California Highway Patrol’s Altadena Station.

Another two-car crash occurred about 2:30 p.m. at Western Avenue and Riverside Drive, and a motorist, who suffered injuries, was taken to Los Angeles County-USC Medical Center, police said.

“It’s a typical rain day,” Primeaux said.

“We are responding to all of the traffic collisions. These are the days we dread.”

But the rainstorm Thursday night into early Friday brought with it some flooding on Brand Boulevard and San Fernando Road, Public Works Director Steve Zurn said.

Crews pumped out street drainages that overflowed with water and cleared up the flooding on the surface streets, he said.

They also patched up a leak in the city’s Central Library’s roof, Zurn said.

“But other than that it has been fine,” he said.

The Glendale Fire Department didn’t respond to any major emergencies Friday, but firefighters remained on high alert, Battalion Chief Grey Godfrey said.

“They are always available, and they are always ready,” he said.

During rainstorms, firefighters make sure to carry shift-water rescue equipment on their engines just in case they have to rescue people who have fallen into the Los Angeles River and Verdugo Wash, Godfrey said.

The Fire Department also offered sandbags at its fire stations for residents who needed them, he said.

The rain put a damper on some scheduled events for Friday and today and forced officials to rescheduled their activities.

College View School, at 1700 E. Mountain St., had to cancel its snow day, which school staff had set up for its students.

School staff has had to cancel the snow day twice due to rain, Principal Jay Schwartz said.

“My staff is very upset, and my parents are very disappointed,” she said.

But the school rescheduled the snow day for Wednesday, and 10 tons will be made for students.

“Snow is something that a lot of kids in Southern California don’t get to experience regularly,” Schwartz said.

The city also canceled its Winter Wonderland event for today because of rain. Sixty tons of manufactured snow was going to be piled onto Brand Park.

But the weather service expects light showers to return Monday morning for Glendale and Burbank.