MAY STORM SPRINGS SURPRISES.Byline: Jesse Hiestand Daily News Staff Writer A rare May storm lumbered through the Southland on Tuesday, dropping more than an inch of rain, spinning off two tornadoes and causing hundreds of car crashes and the downing of a single-engine plane. Scattered showers are possible today followed by dry weather through the weekend, but a similar storm could arrive early next week, meteorologists Atmospheric scientists
``Every 50 years or so we have a situation like this in May, where we get into a strange weather pattern,'' said National Weather Service meteorologist Gary Ryan Gary Ryan (born 12 June 1972) is a former Irish sprinter who specialised in the 200 metres. On retirement he worked for the Irish athletics association. Ryan won the bronze medal in 4 x 400 metres relay at the 2004 World Indoor Championships, together with teammates Robert . ``We're going to end up with one of the wettest Mays on record.'' The May record in Los Angeles Los Angeles (lôs ăn`jələs, lŏs, ăn`jəlēz'), city (1990 pop. 3,485,398), seat of Los Angeles co., S Calif.; inc. 1850. was set in 1921 with 3.57 inches of rain at the Los Angeles Civic Center, he said, based on records kept since 1877. The Civic Center received a half-inch of rain in the 24 hours ending at 5 p.m. Tuesday, bringing the 1997-98 season total to 28.59 inches - nearly double the normal rate of 14.61. Forecasters say it is unlikely Los Angeles will set a new seasonal rain record this year. The mark of 38.18 inches occurred in 1883-84. Santa Barbara Santa Barbara (săn'tə bär`brə, –bərə), city (1990 pop. 85,571), seat of Santa Barbara co., S Calif., on the Pacific Ocean; inc. 1850. , however, set a new seasonal record - 45.41 inches as of midnight Monday. The rainy season in Southern California Southern California, also colloquially known as SoCal, is the southern portion of the U.S. state of California. Centered on the cities of Los Angeles and San Diego, Southern California is home to nearly 24 million people and is the nation's second most populated region, usually tapers off in late April, but this storm dumped two inches of rain in Van Nuys and more than 1.5 inches in Chatsworth, Northridge and Burbank. Mount Wilson received a whopping 3.52 inches. Tuesday's storm was not directly linked to El Nino, a warm-water weather phenomenon credited for many of the season's strongest storms, Ryan said. Instead, this storm came out of the Gulf of Alaska Noun 1. Gulf of Alaska - a gulf of the Pacific Ocean between the Alaska Peninsula and the Alexander Archipelago Pacific, Pacific Ocean - the largest ocean in the world and moved much farther south than usual for a May storm, he said. It also packed more of a punch than forecasters had expected, largely because it stalled off the coast, he said. The storm is expected to clear out by Thursday, and temperatures in the San Fernando Valley San Fernando Valley Valley, southern California, U.S. Northwest of central Los Angeles, the valley is bounded by the San Gabriel, Santa Susana, and Santa Monica mountains and the Simi Hills. should rise to the upper 70s by the weekend. No mudslides were reported, and no roads were closed Tuesday but the storm left a slew of crashes. A single-engine plane crashed Tuesday in the San Bernardino San Bernardino, city, United States San Bernardino (săn bûr'nədē`nō), city (1990 pop. 164,164), seat of San Bernardino co., S Calif., at the foot of the San Bernardino Mts.; inc. 1854. County mountain community of Crestline, killing the pilot, who was not immediately identified. Debris hit a house but the resident was not injured. Officials say the crash might have been weather-related since the plane went down in heavy fog and rain. The Tuesday morning commutes in Los Angeles saw 146 reported traffic crashes on rain-slick freeways, roughly three times that of a day without rain, said California Highway Patrol highway patrol n. A state law enforcement organization whose police officers patrol the public highways. Officer Rhett Price. Many of the incidents involved single cars that spun out or skidded off the roadway, Price said. Rain runoff pooled on freeways such as the Ronald Reagan Freeway near De Soto Avenue, and a small rock slide threatened to close Pacific Coast Highway Pacific Coast Highway may refer to:
In Manhattan Beach, a funnel cloud tore through a school and city maintenance yard Tuesday, scattering debris and ``dismantling a big eucalyptus tree,'' said Manhattan Beach Fire Department Battalion Chief Ken Shuck. No injuries were reported. A second tornado ripped the roof off an auto shop in San Bernardino, but no one was injured, officials said. The Sepulveda Basin, closed at 11:35 p.m. Monday, reopened about three hours later, police said. The Los Angeles Fire Department The Los Angeles Fire Department (LAFD), also known as the Los Angeles City Fire Department to distinguish it from the Los Angeles County Fire Department. It is the agency that provides fire protection and emergency medical services for the city of Los Angeles. took the precaution of having two swift-water rescue teams on standby, one in Van Nuys and one in Cypress Park, said department spokesman Brian Humphrey. The crews scrambled to a report of someone in the Los Angeles River The Los Angeles River is an intermittent river flowing through Los Angeles County, California, from Canoga Park in the west end of the San Fernando Valley, 51 miles (82 km) southeast to its mouth in Long Beach. , east of Griffith Park, but it proved to be a false alarm, he said. Humphrey said fire crews were braced for river rescues but also have geared up to fight wildfires. ``We hope the weather will change and we'll know which season we're in,'' Humphrey said. CAPTION(S): 2 Photos, chart PHOTO (1 -- color) A cloud break appears over Simi Valley Tuesday. David R. Crane/Daily News (2) A car ends up down an embankment after skidding off the Ventura Freeway in Thousand Oaks during Tuesday morning's downpour. Tina Gerson/Daily News Chart: L.A. rainfall |
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