Southern California got a break from its dry streak Friday with an unexpectedly powerful rainstorm that clogged the freeway commute, unleashed some small mudslides and forced officials in Orange County to evacuate canyon communities hit by October's brush fires.
The storm produced half an inch to an inch of rain in the Los Angeles Basin and 1 to 2 inches in parts of Orange County, San Diego County and the Inland Empire. That's not unusual for a heavy winter storm, but it felt more like a deluge in a region where the last rainy season was the driest on record.
Officials said that even a modest storm could prompt flooding and mudslides in areas burned in last month's fires. Federal studies released last week warned of a "severe" threat to life, homes and drinking water supplies if sustained rains hit steep slopes charred by the fires.
Just after 1 p.m. Friday, authorities ordered residents to evacuate their homes in Modjeska Canyon, where the Santiago fire left hillsides dangerously denuded and vulnerable to mudslides. Some canyon residents returned to their homes late Friday night when authorities downgraded the order to voluntary.
In the canyon, streets were covered with thick, gooey mud, a foot deep in some spots, running down bare, steep slopes. Cars fish-tailed out as most residents heeded the evacuation order. For many, it was the second time in about a month that they were told to flee their homes. Just as during the fires, some stayed behind.
"When the firefighters leave, then I'll leave," said Ron Everett, as he watched the parade of cars on Modjeska Canyon Road.
Inside Fire Station 16, volunteer firefighter Vickie Scheibel busily answered phones and wrote down ever-changing rainfall totals on a chalkboard.
"Oh, God, we're just overwhelmed, man," Scheibel said.
Williams and part of Silverado Canyon, near Modjeska, were also evacuated, but those orders were downgraded to voluntary at nightfall.
In northern San Diego County, officials also worried about the vast burn areas. The National Weather Service issued a flash-flood warning --the most serious alert -- in the areas burned by the Poomacha and Rice fires.
By afternoon, nearly 3 inches of rain had fallen on Palomar Mountain, which was besieged by the fires in October.
Officials placed so-called reverse 911 calls to nearly 6,000 homes in and near the areas burned by the Poomacha, Witch and Rice fires. In the Harris fire area to the south, 1,200 such calls were made. Residents were warned of the potential for mudslides and flash floods and told to watch weather reports.
