RAINS CAST PALL ON SOUTHLAND; 3 KILLED BY VALLEY CRASHES; 3,000 KEPT OFF FOOTBALL FIELD.

Byline: Deborah Sullivan Daily News Staff Writer

The rains subsided Saturday, but that good news came too late for 3,000 football players who traveled from around the country for the NFL's Air-It-Out flag football festival, only to learn the event was canceled because of soggy fields.

Several of the 575 teams that traveled to Balboa Park in Encino from around the country salvaged what they could of the event and started pick-up games in the parking lot at the park or behind the Warner Center Marriot in Woodland Hills, where many players were staying. (See Sports.)

After everything, Air-It-Out event director Sunny Malone said ruefully, ``Today turned out to be a beautiful day!''

Rains slowed to scattered showers Saturday, a welcome respite after the downpours that drenched the city Friday, slowing traffic and causing 525 crashes, according to the California Highway Patrol - double the average for the day.

Three crashes in the Valley on Friday resulted in deaths - a startling number in 24 hours after Valley traffic fatalities last year totaled 65 through November. There were 72 throughout 1996.

``Three separate, fatal collisions within a 24-hour period is extremely unique and rare,'' Los Angeles police Sgt. John Gambill said.

An 86-year-old Van Nuys woman died after her car was hit broadside by a van Friday morning. A 37-year-old Reseda man died Friday evening when his car hit two other vehicles, including one that was parked. And a 63-year-old West Hills woman died early Saturday morning, about eight hours after the car in which she was a passenger was hit by another auto Friday evening.

Gambill said roads offer special hazards in the rain: slick surfaces, poor visibility and need for more distance to stop a car.

But Southern California drivers, accustomed to fair weather, often fail to reduce their speed and increase their distance from other cars, he said.

``During rainy days, we have more collisions out there than we do on dry days,'' he said. ``The rain does impact the amount of collisions we have, from minor to very serious, because people do not alter their driving when it's raining and compensate for the conditions of the rain. They drive as if it's a sunny, dry day.''

Valley residents will have a brief respite from foul weather today, according to National Weather Service meteorologist Robert Baruffaldi.

Weather service predictions estimate no chance of showers today, with a 20 percent chance of showers tonight.

The storms will probably be back soon, Baruffaldi said.

``We still have some pretty unsettled weather over the West Coast, with a lot of moisture that continues to stream into California,'' he said.

``So over the next few days we may see a few showers, particularly in the afternoon, and the next shot at some rain looks like possibly sometime Monday or into the early part of Tuesday.''

CAPTION(S):

Photo

PHOTO Storm clouds spread across the sky as two men and a child walk in a Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy park above the Valley.

David R. Crane/Daily News