First Big Storm of Season Batters Southland; 3-Inch Rain in Foothills

The first major storm of the winter season battered Southern California with heavy rain and wind-driven snow this morning, shutting down the major freeway route to the north and snarling commuter traffic throughout the Los Angeles Basin.

The cold, dank morning followed a moderate overnight earthquake in the Palm Springs area that rattled windows but apparently caused no major damage.

As much as 3 inches of rain had fallen in some foothill communities by mid morning, flooding numerous surface streets and launching minor mudslides, especially below hillsides denuded in the wind-whipped fires that destroyed or damaged dozens of homes last week .

Storm Warning Continues

A winter storm warning continued in effect in most local mountain areas, with snow falling steadily on Interstate 5 near Gorman and on Interstate 15 in the Cajon Pass area.

Interstate 5, closed by snow and ice at about 8 p.m. Thursday, was not expected to reopen until late this afternoon. The top of the Tejon Pass near Gorman was littered with trucks that jackknifed on the slick pavement, and at least 50 tractor-trailer rigs were stalled on the Grapevine grade leading up from the San Joaquin Valley.

“It’s not too much fun out there,” California Highway Patrol Officer Chris Black said. “Most of these trucks don’t carry chains, so we’ve got to push them over the top.”

There were at least 10 storm-related accidents in the Cajon Pass area overnight--at least two of which claimed lives--but the roadway remained open.

Chains were required in many mountain resort areas, where up to 2 feet of new snow was expected. Winds up to 60 m.p.h. and temperatures in the 20s drove the wind chill factor down to 30 below zero in some areas.

The quake, centered near the San Andreas Fault at a point about 13 miles northwest of Palm Springs, measured 4.8 on a composite magnitude scale and was felt from Kern County to the Mexican border. Hal Daily, a spokesman for the Caltech seismology laboratory in Pasadena, said the temblor, which struck at about 9:45 p.m., may have been an aftershock from the 5.6 quake in July, 1986, that caused widespread damage in the Palm Springs area.

The storm, which ranged the length of California, struck the northern half of the state with hurricane-force winds on Thursday that destroyed property, knocked out power to more than 300,000 homes, closed highways, tore boats and small planes from their moorings and downed thousands of trees.

All north-south roads through San Luis Obispo County were closed late Thursday by up to 6 inches of wet snow that fell in mountain pass areas, but most of the snow had melted by this morning and traffic was slowly getting back to normal.

The cold, moist weather is expected to be around for a while.

Rain to End Sunday

The rain and snow are expected to continue falling sporadically in Southern California until Sunday morning, accompanied by winds gusting at up to 40 m.p.h. Up to another 2 inches of rain is expected in the Los Angeles area before the storm moves east, with considerably more in some suburban communities at higher elevations.

High temperatures in the coastal valleys won’t push much above the mid 50s and low 60s today and Saturday, and thermometer readings at most mountain resorts will remain below freezing well into the weekend.