Los Angeles News

LOS ANGELES With more than an inch of rain downtown and more to come, forecasters Saturday said drought-parched Los Angeles could be close to its seasonal rainfall norm once a storm due early Monday drenches the area.

"We're trying to catch up," said Bonnie Bartling, a weather specialist with the National Weather Service in Oxnard.

Scattered showers -- snow at the higher elevations -- is expected through Saturday. Then, another storm is due to arrive after midnight Sunday.

At least three waterspouts -- tornadoes over the water -- were spotted off Long Beach shortly after 7 a.m. A photographer for LBReport.com caught an image of one snaking out of a dark cloud over the San Pedro shipping channel about 9 a.m.

A flash flood watch for the burn areas is in effect through 6 p.m., and a winter storm warning is in effect for the mountains until Saturday evening.

Rain apparently tripled the number of accidents on Los Angeles County freeways between midnight and noon Saturday.

The local California Highway Patrol office handled 260 accidents during the 12-hour period, compared to 85 a week ago from Saturday when it was sunny, CHP officials said.

Drivers were urged to slow down, plan ahead and try to avoid flooded roads. Anyone headed for the local ski resorts should bring tire chains.

Los Angeles gets about 15 inches of rain per year on average. From July 1 through midnight, 6.47 inches has fallen at the NWS weather station at USC, where the season norm for this time of year is 7.9 inches, Bartling said.

A cold storm that could produce snow at elevations as low as about 2,500 is expected to arrive early Monday and bring another half-inch to an inch of rain to the metro area, Bartling said.

Amid a downpour last night in Sylmar, where the Sayre wildfire denuded the hillsides in November, mudslides were reported along Lopez Canyon Road, where two vehicles were reported stuck in the mess.

In Sierra Madre, where nearly 4 inches of rain fell, mud flowed down Skyline Drive, where residents were sand-bagging to keep the slurry out of driveways and homes.

At least one garage was damaged at 745 Skyline, but homeowner Andy Dotson and a crew with shovels fought back the mud. Concrete barriers have been placed along the shoulders of the road to keep mud out of homes.

In the San Gabriel Mountains at Opid's Camp, more than 7 inches of rain fell. The spot, about five miles north of Mount Wilson at an elevation of about 3,500 feet, is known as the rainiest spot in the area.

Elsewhere, rainfall amounts varied widely. Santa Monica got 1.63 inches, while only .86 inch fell just miles away at the Bel-Air Hotel in Stone Canyon.

Here's some other rainfall totals from about 4 a.m. Thursday through 10 a.m. Saturday:

-- LAX ... 1.05

-- Downtown ... 1.18

-- Long Beach ... 1.52

-- Santa Monica ... 1.63

-- Malibu's Monte Nido Fire Station ... 3.74

-- Bel-Air Hotel ... 0.86

-- Ballona Creek at Sawtelle Boulevard ... 1.37

-- Beverly Hills ... 1.69

-- Hollywood Reservoir ... 1.93

-- Burbank ... 3.22

-- Chatsworth Reservoir ... 2.17

-- Sepulveda Canyon at Mulholland Drive ... 4.18

-- Pacoima Dam ... 3.89

-- L.A. City College ... 2.24

-- Eagle Rock Reservoir ... 2.99

-- Eaton Dam ... 3.11

-- Claremont ... 3.84

-- Santa Anita Dam ... 3.54

-- San Gabriel Dam ... 5.39

-- Opids Camp ... 7.09

In the mountains, at least 36 inches of snow has fallen at Mount Baldy.

Mountain High reported getting 16-24 inches.

Snow could cause problems for motorists Monday, along the Grapevine section of Interstate 5 and in the Cajon Pass.

The Cajon and Tejon passes top out at more than 4,000 feet, and snow levels could fall as low as 2,500 feet early Monday, Bartling said.

(© 2008 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Wire services contributed to this report.)