Series of winter storms promise another wet weekend

Friday, Dec. 20, 2002 | 6:28 a.m.

The second in a series of winter storms swept through California, drenching much of the already-saturated state while residents braced for another wet weekend.

In Northern California, the storm brought gale-force winds and an unusual dusting of snow to the coastal mountains north of San Francisco on Thursday. Nearly a foot of fresh powder was predicted for the Lake Tahoe area.

The cold front chugged its way south and brought moderate amounts of rain to Southern California early Friday, prompting flash flood and high surf warnings. Downtown Los Angeles received 1.2 inches of rain while other parts of the region registered more than 2 inches, the National Weather Service said.

Forecasters said the latest storm and another pair expected this weekend are much weaker than a storm that pounded the state earlier this week.

"We have definitely already seen the worst of it," NWS forecaster Will Pi said. "I think Saturday we'll still have some showers around but by Sunday we should be drying out."

Winter officially begins at 5:14 p.m. Saturday. NWS has forecast rain for Tuesday, Christmas Day and Thursday.

Snowfall early Friday forced the closure of Interstate 5 in both directions through the Grapevine north of Los Angeles. The California Highway Patrol reopened the freeway about 6:45 a.m. and provided escorts for motorists driving over the summit of Tejon Pass.

In Culver City, a man driving too fast on a rain-slicked street lost control of his vehicle Friday about 1:30 a.m. He crashed into a utility pole and was killed, police said.

A woman on the southbound 110 Freeway in Highland Park also spun out of control about 7 a.m., struck a light pole and was killed. It was unclear whether it was raining at the time, but CHP officials said the roadway was wet.

Elsewhere, between 8 to 18 inches of snow were expected to fall above 6,000 feet in the mountains of Southern California. Areas above 4,500 feet could receive a couple inches of wet snow.

Northern California has endured the brunt of the storm, which flooded streets and rivers, knocked out power to thousands of residents and kicked up the surf. San Francisco recorded 1.34 inches of rain Thursday and already has taken more than 8 inches of rain this month, NWS forecaster Mark Lenz said.

The weather wasn't all bite - it had a bark as well.

Thunderstorms forced the Oakland Raiders to cut short their practice when lightning struck close to the team's Alameda practice facilities.

"A bolt came out (and it was) time to go in," said head coach Bill Callahan.

Authorities dealt with crawling traffic all over the region as crews worked to clear downed wires and trees blocking roadways.

At the peak of the storm, 119,088 Pacific Gas & Electric customers were in the dark. About 5,300 customers remained without power Friday morning in the San Francisco Bay Area and a total of 15,000 PG&E customers from Bakersfield to the Oregon border were without electricity, said Jason Alderman, a spokesman for the utility.

Up to 2 feet of snow was expected to fall by Friday in the higher elevations of the Sierras, piling on the 9 feet that fell since Saturday on some peaks.

Near Truckee, where the power and phone lines at the local ranger station were down, the U.S. Forest Service said avalanches could be a problem above 6,500 feet.

Meanwhile, an unusual dumping of snow hit the North Coast, where up to a foot was expected above 3,000 feet.

Near Willits, a nine-mile stretch of Highway 101 was closed due to heavy snow, CHP officials said.

"I have never had to have chains. Maybe going up the mountain, but not for the highway," said motorist Joan Hannan of Garberville. "I have been without electricity up there for four days and now we get this. This could really put a crimp in grinch season."

A warning also was issued in the Monterey Bay area advising wave watchers to stay well away from the crashing surf as winds gusted up to 50 mph. Small boats were instructed to find safe harbor as quickly as possible.