Nov 30, 2007 6:03 am US/Pacific
Rain In SoCal Causes Flood Watch, Freeway Crashes
LOS ANGELES (CBS) ―
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The National Weather Service said Friday's storm is the first measurable rain since Oct. 12.
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Rain caused crashes, delays and stalls on Southern California freeways. A jackknifed big-rig, some flipped SUVs and a rash of fender-benders littered slippery freeways throughout the region.
A tractor-trailer rig went out of control before dawn Friday, blocking all lanes of Interstate 5 near Santa Ana for hours. Several cars got tangled in the wreckage and traffic was backed up for miles hours after the crash.
The headache continued on the southbound Pasadena Freeway just north of downtown, but it had nothing to do with the rain. The California Highway Patrol says a suicidal person stopped traffic when he threatened to jump from an overpass in the Highland Park area. He was talked down and the freeway was reopened.
Elsewhere, cars spun out of control or crunched into other vehicles on the slippery roadways.
Flash flood warnings were posted in the region's burn areas denuded by recent wildfires. Rain was expected to fall at a half-inch-an-hour in some areas.
The city of Long Beach is warning people to stay out of the ocean due to bacteria runoff spilling into the water because of the rain. The beach advisory is expected to remain in effect for up to 72 hours after the rain. The city's health officer warns this swimming in contaminated water can lead to flu-like symptoms, gastrointestinal illness, skin rash and infections.
The subtropical storm system is expected to move through the area by Saturday.
The National Weather Service says it's the first measurable rain since Oct. 12.
(© 2009 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
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