Big Storm Pummels Southland

A powerful winter storm pounded the Southland on Wednesday, spawning a mild tornado in Inglewood, leaving behind uprooted trees, traffic snarls and power outages across the region, and dampening Rose Parade activities in Pasadena.

The bad weather forced the cancellation of a Rose Parade festival at the Rose Bowl for the second straight day, and pre-parade marching band performances were moved indoors at Pasadena City College.

Although weather predictions called for only a slight chance of rain New Year’s morning, Tournament of Roses officials worried that their 51-year rain-free streak might be broken.

“People have said for years that the parade is on borrowed time,� said Bill Flinn, chief operating officer of the Tournament of Roses, referring to the event’s typical postcard-like weather.

The worst of the storm system moved in early Wednesday from the Pacific, bringing with it unusually heavy winds. Part of Inglewood -- where a weak tornado touched down about 1 a.m. -- was especially hard hit. Toppled trees that damaged some cars and homes also blocked streets. No one was hurt.

The National Weather Service dispatched an investigator, who examined the damage and officially classified the Inglewood event as a tornado, albeit a 0 on a scale where 6 is the strongest.

Winds of 40 mph to 70 mph that swept in from different directions clashed and helped to create the tornado, said Bill Hoffer, a weather service spokesman.

It was unclear whether the tornado tore the roof off a single-story home in the nearby unincorporated community of Ladera Heights. Los Angeles County fire officials said that four people lived in the house in the 6000 block of Croft Avenue but that no one was hurt.

Though similar winds were reported in Long Beach, only the high winds in Inglewood were confirmed as a tornado, Hoffer said.

In Orange County, strong winds whipped through Newport Beach and Costa Mesa early in the morning. But forecasters stopped short of calling the winds a tornado, instead labeling them a microburst -- intense gusts associated with thunderstorms. The gusts buckled a Costa Mesa sound wall, which hit the carport of an apartment building and damaged 15 vehicles.

Traffic on Southland freeways remained hectic throughout the day. After water flooded three lanes on the southbound San Diego Freeway, a transition road to the Century Freeway remained closed most the day. A mudslide closed northbound U.S. 101 about 25 miles up the coast from Santa Barbara for part of the day.

As of late Wednesday, 30,000 Edison customers remained without power in communities from Frazier Park to Fullerton. Since the rain began falling Sunday, 250,000 customers have had electricity service interrupted, said Gil Alexander, a spokesman for Edison.

In the latest storm, downtown Los Angeles had recorded 3.84 inches of rain by early Wednesday afternoon and Los Angeles International Airport had measured 1.40 inches. In the 24-hour period beginning at 10 a.m. Monday, a record 4.31 inches fell in downtown and a record 2.85 inches at LAX.

The wet weather generated positive news about the state’s water supply. The California Department of Water Resources conducted the first of four winter snow surveys Wednesday, finding that all three of the state’s snowy regions -- north, central and south -- had accumulated above-normal “snow water� levels. Overall, the amount of snow expected to contribute to the water supply is 10% greater than usual for this time of year.

Ted Thomas, a spokesman for the water department, said snow levels exceeded norms last year too, suggesting a slow but improving outlook for California’s moisture levels. The levels have been low in recent years, contributing to deadly wildfires.

In Pasadena, the bad weather prompted part of the annual pre-Rose Parade FanFest at the Rose Bowl to be shut down.

Parade officials faced what one organizer called “the inevitable reality� that it could rain on parade day for the first time since 1954.

The parade, however, will step out onto Colorado Boulevard rain or shine, Flinn said.

But he added that “people don’t come out in the rain. The reality is, it dampens the spirits.�

Flinn declined to specify what would happen if it rained on New Year’s Day. “We don’t comment except to say that we are prepared for it,� he said.

Officials have begun implementing contingency plans. Game day parking on the Brookside Golf Course, near the Rose Bowl, was canceled Wednesday because of the wet conditions.

Officials encouraged anyone without a designated parking pass to park outside the Rose Bowl area and take a free shuttle to the game.

Some Pasadena merchants said they had already seen sales drop slightly because of the weather.

Leann Lampe of the Pasadena Visitors and Convention Bureau attributed that more to locals who stayed home than to visitors canceling travel plans. Hotels were 98% occupied for the weekend, she said.

Most preparations -- float decorating, bleacher assembly -- moved ahead Wednesday in blustery conditions.

Oversized umbrellas and plastic ponchos were de rigueur for the workers and volunteers who were putting the finishing touches on parade floats and bleachers. Out-of-town guests tried to enjoy what they could of the week’s festivities.

“This is just unbelievable,� cooed Mary Smith, as she snapped a picture of a float being lined with flowers. She had arrived earlier in the week from Oswego, Ill., with her husband and four children, to watch her oldest daughter, Meagan, march in the parade with her high school band.

“It’s so exciting,� Smith said. “Weather can’t dampen it.�

Laurie Mercurio, a meteorologist at Weather Central Inc., said she expected showers to sprinkle Southern California late this evening and continue through Friday. However, Saturday is expected to be dry, with daytime temperatures in the upper 50s and mid-60s, she said.

Bill Patzert, who studies weather for the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, agreed with that forecast.

“I don’t believe it’s going to rain� on the parade, he said. “But not for any logical reason. Just because the Rose Parade dictates it.�

Times staff writer David McKibben contributed to this report.