April 1, 1998 - The latest, but certainly not the last, storm to hit Southern California
this season brought some frightening surprises along with the usual wind,
rain and traffic jams.
About 14 funnel clouds or waterspouts developed off the coast of Orange
County on Tuesday, one hitting ground briefly in Huntington Beach, but causing
no damage.
"I saw four funnel clouds offshore, and they came pretty close to
touching down," said Huntington State Beach lifeguard Leon Pickens.
"There was one that was coming in right over us and it was pretty big,
but is dissipated before it came to shore."
Others stayed offshore near Huntington and Sunset Beaches, officials
said.
Funnel clouds and waterspouts - the former don't touch the surface of
the water and the latter do - extend downward from storm clouds. Joe Dandrea,
a meteorologist for the National Weather Service, estimated they might have
reached about a mile in height Tuesday.
The phenomena are caused by warm air rising into cooler air. Pockets
can cause the air to start spinning, developing into a funnel or a spout.
Meanwhile, homeowners in hard-hit Laguna Niguel were enduring a storm
that was expected to deliver two inches of rain by this morning, according
to WeatherData, Inc., which provides forecasts for The Times.
Recent storms have undermined a hillside in Laguna Niguel, badly damaging
several homes and causing several others to topple. More than a dozen more
homes are threatened because "the hill is still moving a little bit,"
city spokesperson Solveig Darner said.
The storm also dropped snow on communities from La Crescenta to Palmdale,
with accumulations of up to four inches shutting down the Antelope Valley
Freeway. Snow also fell in Leona Valley, Lake Hughes and Littlerock.
The storm is the beginning of a cold, soggy weather pattern expected
to last for at least a week, according to WeatherData. There's a chance
of scattered showers throughout the day today. Thursday may be the only
dry day before a second storm moves in Friday, with a third storm expected
Sunday.
The storm system also is bringing unseasonably cool temperatures that
could dip into the upper 30s by tonight, according to WeatherData.
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