LOS ANGELES (CNS) - The storm that doused the region has cleared out, having triggered almost four times as many accidents in L.A. County during Thursday's morning commute as the day before, officials said today.
The brunt of the storm lashed the area -- particularly in Orange County and in southwestern Los Angeles County -- from mid to late morning Thursday. The downpours prompted the National Weather Service to issue a flash flood warning for the 23,000-acre Holy Fire burn area in Orange and Riverside counties at 10 a.m., but the warning was allowed to expire at noon as rainfall lightened.
The storm, consisting of a weather system out of the Gulf of Alaska beefed up by moisture from the eastern Pacific, appears to have triggered 475 accidents on L.A. area freeways Thursday, the California Highway Patrol said today.
National Weather Service forecasters had said the Thursday morning commute would be challenging, and they turned out to be right. CHP Officer Patrick Kimball said this morning that 365 accidents were reported between 5 a.m. and 9 a.m. Thursday compared to 93 the day before.
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The approach of the storm had raised fears of nudslides and debris flows in areas stripped bare by wildfires, but, in the end, only minor slides were reported in L.A. County, said NWS meteorologist Andrew Rorke, adding that he expects no more precipitation until mid-week next week.
Along the L.A. and Orange County coasts, a high surf advisory will be in effect until 10 tonight.
The NWS forecast partly cloudy skies today and highs of 50 degrees on Mount Wilson; 54 in Lancaster; 56 in Palmdale; 59 in Saugus; 64 in Burbank and Avalon; 65 in Pasadena and San Gabriel; 66 in Woodland Hills; 67 at LAX; 68 in Downtown L.A; and 69 in Long Beach.
In Orange County, where a few showers were possible today, meteorologists forecast partly cloudy skies and highs of 44 on Santiago Peak; 54 on Ortega Highway at 2,600 feet; 60 in Fremont Canyon; 61 in Trabuco Canyon; 63 in Yorba Linda, Laguna Beach and San Clemente; 65 in Mission Viejo; 66 in Irvine and Anaheim; and 68 in Fullerton.
Temperatures in L.A. and Orange County will remain in the 60s at least through Thursday.