WEATHER • Forecasters had been expecting heavier snow in county
through the clouds at the coast, and golfers were lining up at the practice greens at Torrey Pines Golf Course in La Jolla as though nothing had happened.
There was considerably more stress off to the east.
Thursday’s storm packed a lot of snow, some of which fell along Interstate 8 east of Alpine, triggering accidents in an area that also was being whipped by sharp winds.
Several vehicles spun out on or near the Pine Valley Bridge, including a Border Patrol car that appeared to have front-end damage.
The eastbound lanes were closed briefly to give public safety crews enough time to plow the highway.
Forecasters had been expecting worse.
On Christmas night, the National Weather Service estimated that the upper reaches of the San Diego County mountains would receive 20 inches to 30 inches of snow. Forecasters took the unusual step of warning people to take extra clothing and food if they planned to go see the snow because traffic jams were likely.
But late Thursday morning, forecasters said that the storm had angled more sharply toward the San Bernardino mountains, and that San Diego’s highest peaks probably wouldn’t get much more than a foot.
The snow was moderate enough to enable plow crews to quickly clear the roads up to Mount Laguna, where children were sledding in 4 to 6 inches of snow by lunch time.
However, Palomar Observatory said it would be closed at least through the weekend because of heavy snowfall.
Elsewhere in Southern
California, the winter storm triggered tornado warnings and snarled post-christmas travel on major routes Thursday.
Snow shut down Interstate 5 at the Tejon Pass through the mountains north of Los Angeles and stopped traffic on Interstate 15 over the Cajon Pass in the inland region to the east. Interstate 15 finally reopened in both directions in the afternoon.
A truck driver was found unresponsive in a rig stopped along I-5 in the Tejon Pass. Kern County firefighters pronounced him dead, according to the California Highway Patrol’s online incident log.
It was not immediately known if the death was weather-related. Phone and email messages seeking comment were not immediately returned from the Kern County Sheriff’s Office, where the sheriff also serves as county coroner.
After being stuck for five hours in the Cajon Pass, motorist Johnny Lim wasn’t sure he could reach Las Vegas, where he hoped to spend time after Christmas.
He worried about driving his car through the pass when it reopens.
“The freeway is full of snow and ice,” he said, adding that his car “is not built for conditions like this.”
I-5 rises to more than 4,100 feet in the Tejon Pass between Los Angeles and the San Joaquin Valley. Cajon Pass rises to more than 3,700 feet between the San Gabriel and San Bernardino Mountains on I-15, the major connector between Southern California and Las Vegas.
Southbound I-15 also was closed by snow in the community of Primm, Nev.
On Wednesday night, a small tornado briefly hopped across Ventura Harbor, the National Weather Service reported. Gusts downed five trees, according to the Ventura County Star. Winds up to 65 to 85 mph also caused minor damage to nearby buildings, forecasters said.
Localized flooding inundated roads and freeway lanes while snow fell to low elevations, leading to numerous traffic accidents.
The town of Wrightwood at the eastern end of the San
Rainfall by the inch
Sample of rainfall in the county through noon Thursday:
San Onofre .................. 1.66 Oceanside ................... 1.59 Escondido ................... 1.55 Camp Pendleton .......... 1.46 Mission Beach ............. 1.43 Lemon Grove ............... 1.41 Santee ......................... 1.41 Poway ......................... 1.33 Encinitas ..................... 1.29 San Marcos ................. 1.28 San Diego International Airport .... 1.28 Del Mar ....................... 1.26 Montgomery Field ........ 1.19 El Cajon ....................... 1.15 La Jolla ........................ 1.14 La Mesa ....................... 1.12 Chula Vista .................. 1.07 San Diego Sea World ...0.99 Alpine ......................... 0.86 Descanso .................... 0.83 Campo ....................... 0.66 Borrego Springs .......... 0.31 Ocotillo Wells .............. 0.29 Source: NWS
Note: The NWS does not have an automated weather station for Vista
Gabriel Mountains had received 25 inches of snow by midday.
The tempest triggered tornado warnings overnight in Santa Barbara and Orange counties when radar indicated rotation in severe thunderstorms. The warnings were later canceled.
gary.robbins@sduniontribune.com
The Associated Press contributed to this report.