Well, that was wild.
The second of three, and possibly four, Pacific storms was supposed to be the mildest of the bunch. But, so far, it has turned out to be the wildest.
Around noon on Tuesday, the National Weather Service noticed that the incoming storm was filled with turbulent air that produced rarely heard thunderstorms. Then things got odder: forecasters noticed that the radar echoes looked like the signature of evolving tornados. So they issued a tornado warning for Seal Beach, and quickly extended it to most of northern and central Orange County.
The warning was in effect from 12:45 p.m. to 1:30 p.m., during which time a water spout appeared off Huntington Beach, and a twister appearly touched down in Sunset Beach, flipped an SUV. The calamitous conditions led UC Irvine and Chapman University to send email to students, telling them to stay inside. Several day core centers, including ones in Los Alamitos and Huntington Beach, went on lock down. The Seal Beach Pier was briefly closed while being battered by wind-whipped waves that rose to 12 feet. And operations became dicey at John Wayne Airport, where the wind gusted to 46 mph.
The tornado warning expired. But the tension quickly rose again when forecasters issued a warning for San Clemente, MissionViejo and Laguna Beach. The winds picked, and the clouds unleashed their rain.
issued a tornado warning for Seal Beach, and that advisory was extended to most of northern and central Orange County.
One south county reader sent an email that says, Raining so hard here in SJC (San Juan Capistrano) it’s difficult to see across the cul de sac. Thunder nearby. No ‘brightness’ here at 2:03 p.m.”
The second warning expired with event. A rainbow even appeared. But many street corners were flooded, making the slog around Orange County hard and annoying.
And we’re not done yet.
The weather service says that a third round of rain will arrive Wednesday afternoon, following by a much larger systems Thursday night and early Friday.
Sample of total’s rainfall, through 3 p.m.
- Lake Forest: 1.69”
- Upper Silverado Canyon: 1.42”
- Upper Harding Canyon: 1.30”
- Upper Aliso Creek: 1.22”
- Modjeska Canyon: 1.14”
- Laguna Canyon: 1.10”
- Garden Grove: 1.10”
- Buena Park: 1.16”
- Fullerton Airport: 1.06”
- Santiago Peak: 1.06”
- Yorba Linda: 0.94”
- Westminster: 0.75”
- Source: County of Orange
A flash flood watch will be in effect until some time tonight. A small craft advisory is in effect until 2 a.m. Thursday.
Today’s storm will rocket through the county and be followed by another pulse late Wednesday, and possibly a much, much larger storm on Thursday and Friday, says Steve Vanderberg, a weather service forecaster. A flash flood watch will remain in effect until at least Thursday. Travelers heading up to big bear will need chains for their tires; more than 18 inches of snow fell above 6,000 feet on Monday, and roads are expected to remain snowy and icy all week.
Article From : http://sciencedude.freedomblogging.com/2010/01/19/new-storm-to-drop-half-inch-of-rain/79571/
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