Department of Water Resources
A daily compilation for DWR personnel of significant news articles and comment
November 26, 2008
1. Top Items -
Rain hits, but hillsides hold in burn areas
Riverside Press Enterprise
Storm evacuations ordered in OC as rains hit
The Associated Press
Los Angeles
Storm puts fire-scarred Southern Calif. on edge
Associated Press
Thanksgiving commuters: flooding causing local, state road closures
Desert Sun staff and wire services
Rain hits, but hillsides hold in burn areas
Riverside Press Enterprise
Although rain is subsiding at least temporarily throughout the Inland area, a flash flood watch remains in effect until 10 p.m., mainly for recently burned areas near steep hillsides, according to the National Weather Service.
Rainfall was moderate to heavy overnight in the region and another band of rainfall is possible. Showers developing off the coast may move onshore after 7:30 a.m.
The wet weather, with more than one inch falling in some areas, has caused traffic issues throughout the area, but not widespread flooding that was feared in the wake of recent fires. Jack-knifed trucks, flooding and rockslides are slowing the morning commute throughout much of
The most recent SigAlert was issued at 4:17 a.m. for a jack-knifed big rig that blocked the two left lanes of southbound Interstate 215 at the
In the Sunnymead area of
And in the
Last night's storm brought more than an inch of rain to
But most areas of
According to
Weather on Thanksgiving Day is expected to be partly cloudy, with the possibility of some showers moving through the region, though rainfall coverage and accumulations should be far less the half-inch to one inch of rain was said to have fallen by 3 a.m. today in western San Bernardino County.
Saturday through Monday will bring gusty winds blowing down from mountain passes.
High temperatures today and Thanksgiving Day are expected to be in the mid-60s in the valleys, the 40s to low 50s in the mountains, and the 60s to low 70s in the
At 7 a.m.,
In the mountains, Angelus Oaks and Pine Cove were in the low 40s. #
http://www.pe.com/localnews/inland/stories/PE_News_Local_S_webrain1.11393f0.html
Storm evacuations ordered in OC as rains hit
The Associated Press – 11/26/08
The Orange County Fire Department called for the evacuation Wednesday morning of at least 1,500 people in the
Fire Captain Greg McKeown says no mudslides or debris flows have been reported yet, but that rain levels met a threshold that prompted the evacuations.
Voluntary evacuations had already been called for in the area, which was torched by the huge Freeway Complex fire earlier this month.#
http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-storm-evacuations27-2008nov27,0,4100184.story
By
In neighborhood after neighborhood, hardly anyone in
The evacuation order went out early Tuesday to residents in the
An evacuation order was also issued late Tuesday in
The Tea fire, the first in a ravaging series of brush fires, burned hundreds of homes in and around Montecito.
The blaze that swept through
Despite the evacuation order, Erik Irwin, for one, wasn't going anywhere Tuesday. The 20-year-old had hiked back into his
"There's no way they're going to make any one of us leave," he said of his neighbors. He and another neighbor analyzed the slopes, theorizing what direction flowing mud might take.
"To tell you the truth, I'm getting really tired of the natural disaster stuff."
The racket from city crews installing a concrete barrier at the base of the hillside kept some residents up overnight. By Tuesday midday, a swift water rescue unit from the Orange County Fire Authority surveyed the neighborhood, asking residents about previous flooding problems. The unit was working to identify possible trouble spots and provide a presence in
Around the corner, Stuart Nichols was piling sandbags against the base of his garage. The consultant, who lives on Foxtail Drive -- also exposed to burnt slopes -- said his family was staying put for the moment but had a few overnight bags packed just in case. They were also taking keepsakes, such as their children's baby pictures, to a friend to store.
The city, Nichols said, "didn't respond very well when the fires came." With the well-publicized mudslide warnings, "they're trying to overcompensate, over-communicate."
The family had planned to go to Havasu for the holiday but was probably going to scuttle that trip because of the forecast.
"I'm ready for 2008 to be done," said Nichols, 44.
Brian Janney was still heading to see in-laws in
"I'm definitely nervous to be leaving," Janney said as he packed the family's Suburban and his small son and daughter played in the yard behind him. But he's confident neighbors on the tight-knit
Some neighbors said volunteers helped distribute the heavy bags Saturday. Late Tuesday morning a couple of residents loaded sandbags piled in the community park into their trucks and SUVs.
The Janneys have invited another family whose house was destroyed in the fire to use their home for the long holiday weekend.
In the
Residents there expressed a sense of evacuation fatigue, with many having returned from fire evacuations just over a week ago. Unlike the wildfire response, the city seemed to be throwing resources into massive preparation for the expected storm, some neighbors there said.
A few
A small sign on one
http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-fire-slide-fears26-2008nov26,0,4676195.story
Storm puts fire-scarred Southern Calif. on edge
Associated Press – 11/25/08
LOS ANGELES (AP) —
Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger ordered state agencies to prepare to aid local organizations in case of disaster.
"The state stands ready to help local governments protect lives and property," he said.
A low-pressure area about 700 miles off the coast was heading northeast and could bring an inch of rain through Thanksgiving and up to 4 inches in the mountains, said Stan Wasowski, a forecaster with the National Weather Service in San Diego.
Flash flood watches were posted through Wednesday evening for areas where grass and brush that normally anchors the soil, helping to prevent mudslides, burned away. Some places could get a half-inch of rain in an hour, the Weather Service said.
A series of wildfires stoked by Santa Ana winds damaged or destroyed about 1,000 homes this month in Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, Santa Barbara and San Bernardino counties. Those burn areas equaled a total of about 65 square miles.
In addition, October wildfires burned dozens more homes and scorched a total of more than 35 square miles. Other areas remain scarred from additional fires in recent months and years.
In
Crews placed lines portable concrete barriers below the denuded hillsides of
A call also went out for volunteers to fill sandbags in Sierra Madre, a hideaway
City Hall was literally flying a yellow flag — the second-highest level in its mud-flow forecast system — to alert affected citizens to be prepared to leave their homes.
"After our April and May fires, we knew the next step would be mud, and we started preparing right away," said city spokeswoman Elisa Weaver. "We wanted to be able to warn people to be ready."
Without the fire-related risks, rain might be appreciated in parched
Northwest of
"There are still many homes that are intact and directly in the burn area," Boyer said. Flooding and mudslides would pose a risk "directly to those homes that survived the fire," he said. #
http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5gIqj9If0XazeSoYijSrM92ANAHVQD94M9G700
Thanksgiving commuters: flooding causing local, state road closures
The overnight rains have flooded some streets in the valley, including just south of the I-10 freeway at Date Palm and Vista Chino in
Drivers heading south on Date Palm should use caution when making a right hand turn onto Vista Chino. A sign warning of flooding is posted, but you'll make a big splash - and your windshield will be temporarily obstructed - if you take the corner too quickly.
There are flood signs up on
The storm soaking much of Southern California has flooded Interstate 5 in
The California Highway Patrol says it closed all of the northbound lanes at
Snow fell at the Palm Springs Aerial Tram Tuesday night, Lena Zimmerschied, public affairs manager for the tram, said Wednesday morning.
"We got a half of inch of snow," she said.
This is the second snowfall of the season for the tram.
Zimmerschied said the weather service is forecasting a chance of snow through Wednesday night.
"We're hoping for more," she said.
To the north in
The Pacific storm system began dousing the county with moderate to heavy rain early this morning and was expected to continue generating rainfall until tonight, according to the National Weather Service.
The NWS issued a flash flood watch through tonight, when the storm is expected to taper off. In the meantime, residents living below burn areas were urged to keep track of flood warnings.
A weaker storm could bring a few lingering showers Thanksgiving Day, the weather service reported.
Much cooler weather was also forecast for this week, with a possibility of snow in the
Today's forecast also called for temperature highs to peak in the 60s in
the valleys and in the 50s in the mountains.
Thunderstorms accompanied by small hail are possible today as cold air
aloft moves into the area, according to the weather service.#
http://www.mydesert.com/article/20081126/NEWS01/81126012&referrer=FRONTPAGECAROUSEL
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