Flooding, a tornado, even the risk of a 'semi-wet Santa Ana' before storms finally leave L.A.

"In Orange County, a possible tornado or waterspout moved ashore around 10:15 p.m. Thursday in the eastern Dana Point Harbor, a witness reported to the National Weather Service. The wind "lofted a 12-foot segment of chain link fence with privacy fabric and threw it 70 feet across parking lot," the weather service said. There were numerous calls of flooding in the city of Westminster, police said, where an astonishing 1.84 inches of rain fell in a single hour,"

"In Huntington Beach, a three-mile stretch of Pacific Coast Highway was closed - between Warner Avenue and Seapoint Street, just southwest of the Bolsa Chica Ecological Reserve - due to roadway flooding. Inches of rain also covered a section of Artesia Boulevard in Redondo Beach and a road in a Huntington Beach neighborhood, KABC-TV Channel 7 reported. In Big Bear Lake, a dozen vehicles were trapped in the snow along Highway 18 at Bear Valley Dam, authorities said."

"By the time most Angelenos wake up Friday, however, the heaviest rain could be behind them - although some might be dealing with a big mess. The most severe rain was expected overnight, late Thursday into early Friday, the weather service said. A flood watch, indicating flooding is possible from heavy rain, was in effect for much of Los Angeles County as well as eastern Riverside County and Imperial County through Friday morning."

Southern California received a third storm bringing heavy precipitation, localized flooding, and snowy conditions that trapped vehicles overnight. A possible tornado or waterspout moved ashore in eastern Dana Point Harbor and winds lofted and threw a 12-foot section of chain link fence across a parking lot. Westminster reported 1.84 inches of rain in a single hour and Garden Grove recorded 1.5 inches during the same period. Roadway flooding closed a three-mile stretch of Pacific Coast Highway in Huntington Beach and inundated sections of Artesia Boulevard and local streets. Dozens of vehicles became trapped in snow along Highway 18 at Bear Valley Dam. Flood watches covered Los Angeles, eastern Riverside, and Imperial counties into Friday morning, with additional heavy-rain risk across the Inland Empire and northern San Diego County.

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