EL NINO SENDS A STORMY MISSIVE.

Byline: Sharline Chiang and Jennifer Knight Daily News Staff Writers

California's relationship with Mother Nature turned stormy on Valentine's Day, as more El Nino-fueled rains drenched the region - causing a mudslide in Ventura that snapped pipelines and touched off a gas explosion and oil spill.

Although skies were expected to clear today, forecasters said at least two El Nino storms are heading toward the state over the next week, increasing chances of heavy rain, snow, flooding and mudslides.

The first storm is expected to hit Monday night and last until late Tuesday, dropping about as much rain as the weekend storm. The next storm should come in late Thursday and last at least 12 hours, National Weather Service meteorologists said.

Hundreds of traffic collisions were reported during the downpour Saturday, and new mud and rock slides were reported in the Hollywood Hills and the Santa Monica Mountains. Slides forced the closure of Malibu Canyon.

The latest storm dumped 2.08 inches of rain at the Civic Center by 5:30 p.m., bringing the season's total to 17.07 inches, compared to the norm of 9.38, according to AccuWeather, a weather information service.

The mudslide in Ventura caused parallel oil and gas pipelines to snap in School Canyon, causing an explosion heard miles away and sending a fireball more than 100 feet skyward, said Charles Carranza, Ventura County Fire Department dispatcher.

No one was hurt in the afternoon explosion in the remote canyon, and the fire was soon extinguished. But the break sent an estimated 21,000 gallons of crude oil down a barranca that feeds into the state beach along Harbor Boulevard, fire officials said.

Texaco and Shell oil company crews shut off the pipes and built berms to contain the spill. Some of the oil made its way into the ocean, but there were no reports of wildlife being harmed, fire officials said.

The two oil companies, which reportedly own the pipelines and are taking responsibility for the spill, brought in vacuum trucks to begin the job of sucking oil from San Jon Creek, which feeds into the ocean through the state beach.

Also Saturday, a head-on crash on a rainy mountain highway on the way to Wrightwood left four dead and eight injured.

The fatal crash, which happened at 4 p.m., involved a van and a pickup truck near the Cajon Pass on Highway 138, California Highway Patrol Officer Arlene Brannon said.

Traffic on the two-lane road leading up to the ski resort was stopped for hours. Four people were pronounced dead at the scene, and four of the eight others involved in the crash were rushed to an area hospital. There was no word on their condition.

Meanwhile, a mudslide above the 22300 block of Malden Street in West Hills that threatened five homes Friday appeared stable during Saturday's downpour. City officials used sandbags and tarps Friday in hopes of preventing further damage after mud crushed the garage of one house, along with two cars inside.

Firefighters bulldozed sand berms at Zuma Beach in the Malibu area to help protect oceanfront homes Saturday. Lifeguards said the berms appeared to be working.

The storm triggered isolated power outages in some areas.

CHP Officer Karen Faciane said there were hundreds of freeway mishaps Saturday, although she could not say how many were related to the weather.

``We had between 300 and 400 between midnight and 2 p.m. in Los Angeles County,'' she said.

Heavy rain in the San Fernando Valley forced the closure of roads in the Sepulveda Dam Flood Control Basin, including Burbank Boulevard between Balboa Boulevard and the San Diego Freeway, and Woodley Avenue between Victory and Burbank boulevards.

A heavy-surf advisory was put in effect throughout the day, with waves 8 feet and higher expected at some beaches, and winds gusting to 30 mph.

The National Weather Service issued a special advisory to warn Southland residents of possible flooding in roadways and small streams.

Snow at higher elevations could accumulate past 6 inches, and the snow level could fall as low as 4,000 feet by this morning.

Monday night and Tuesday are expected to be mostly cloudy with possible rain. By Wednesday, skies are expected to turn gray again with a slight chance of morning showers.

L.A. RAINFALL

Latest storm 2.08 inches

Season 17.07 inches

Normal 9.38 inches

Note: Season total is for the period beginning July 1, 1997, at 5:30 p.m. as measured at the Los Angeles Civic Center.

LOCAL RAINFALL

(In inches as of 4:30 p.m. Saturday)

Burbank 1.10

Chatsworth 1.97

Northridge 1.92

Newhall 1.13

Simi Valley 1.80

Thousand Oaks 1.75

Source: National Weather Service and AccuWeather

The Associated Press and City News Service contributed to this story.

CAPTION(S):

2 charts

CHART: (1) L.A. RAINFALL

(2) Local rainfall