Latest Storm May Be the Last for a While

Rain-weary Southern Californians may wake up to more wetness this morning, but take heart: The cold Pacific storm that arrived Friday and snarled traffic with rain and blanketed low-lying foothills with snow is the last one forecast for a while.

The storm, the second to hit the area in three days, dumped more than half an inch of rain in much of Los Angeles, Orange and Ventura counties. Isolated lightning and thunder were reported.

But a third storm that had been expected to hit the Southland on Monday appears headed for the Pacific Northwest, said meteorologist Alan Shoemaker, with Wisconsin-based Weather Central.

There were apparently no weather-related fatalities as of Friday evening, despite hundreds of accidents throughout the region, authorities said.

For snow lovers, the storm proved a blessing, making for the second weekend in a row of prime snowboarding and skiing at Southland resorts.

“These are classic midwinter skiing conditions,� said Chris Riddle, marketing director at Snow Summit Mountain Resort in Big Bear Lake. “There’s snow in the trees and every run is open.�

Authorities warn that drivers will probably need snow tires and chains today in higher elevations because the snow is not expected to taper off before this afternoon.

More than 2,000 youngsters in the Acton-Agua Dulce Unified School District rejoiced at seeing the rare white stuff Friday, which caused school to be canceled after the snow started sticking to the ground just as buses were getting ready to roll at 6:45 a.m.

Schools Close, Roads Stay Open

“It was beautiful, if you didn’t have to drive in it,� said Kathi Campbell, a district accountant technician who was among the few employees who reported to work before the “snow day� was called.

Campbell said an “inch or two� of snow halted classes at five schools in the rural High Desert region. “It happens about once a year,� she said.

The mile-high Escondido Summit at Acton serves as the main route for commuters from the Antelope Valley to the Santa Clarita and San Fernando valleys and Los Angeles. Despite the snow there, the route remained open for morning travelers, the California Highway Patrol said.

CHP officers slowed traffic on the Antelope Valley Freeway between Agua Dulce Canyon and Ward roads for an hour Friday morning because of snow.

The CHP also kept close watch on conditions along Interstate 5 through the Grapevine, which remained open Friday afternoon.

“We’re prepared for the worst, but hoping for the best,� said Sgt. Rick Sirovy of the CHP’s Newhall office.

The San Fernando Valley had relatively few weather-related crashes.

“We haven’t had any serious accidents today,� said Sgt. Ed Wheelis of the Los Angeles Police Department’s Valley Traffic Division. “Maybe a few more fender-benders than usual, but that’s about it.�

Snow and fog contributed to several accidents on a stretch of Interstate 15 in the Cajon Pass in San Bernardino County on Friday afternoon.

In Orange County, pounding rain and scattered thundershowers caused numerous fender-benders, including a chain of as many as eight accidents involving up to 30 vehicles that blocked parts of the Santa Ana Freeway in the afternoon, police said.

In Anaheim, a big rig jackknifed about 3 p.m. on the eastbound Riverside Freeway just west of Weir Canyon Road, triggering a crash that involved six other vehicles, the CHP reported.

In Ventura County, two cows were killed by speeding cars Thursday night after wandering out from a nearby pasture and onto the Ventura Freeway near La Conchita. The wet weather caused a landslide that toppled the barbed wire fence usually separating livestock from the road, said CHP Officer Dave Webb.

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Times correspondents Deniene Husted and Catherine Blake and staff writers Carol Chambers, Martha Willman and Richard Fausset contributed to this story.