L.A. Gets a Taste of Arctic Weather From Chilly Rain

Southern Californians scurried for umbrellas and sweaters Friday as Arctic winds dropped temperatures into the 40s and low 50s along the coast and brought light snow to mountain resorts and passes.

“We dress a little warmer, with the thermals of course,” said Officer Mark Ehly of the California Highway Patrol’s Ft. Tejon station, located along Interstate 5 in the Tehachapi Mountains.

It was warmer, but still cloudy and wet at Long Beach Harbor, where a few intrepid sailors braved the choppy seas to get in a little boating.

“Not a bad day to sail, if you don’t mind getting wet,” remarked Tony Burt of the Pacific Sailing Club as he looked out from his office toward the Queen Mary and the Pacific Ocean. “But personally, I think it’s a day to stay inside by the fire.”

About 0.32 of an inch of rain had fallen at the Los Angeles Civic Center by 7 p.m. Friday, and a forecast of a low of 47 degrees for Friday night prompted city officials to announce that they would open armories and recreation centers near downtown Los Angeles to shelter the homeless.

More than 700 cots will be available through the weekend at four downtown recreation centers, said George Pallas, of the city homeless coordination unit. Armories in Van Nuys and West Los Angeles will also be open.

Three homeless men and a woman returned Friday to an abandoned Westlake home where the night before they had built a campfire in the living room to keep warm. The fire got out of hand, blackening much of the house.

“We’re going to stay in the garage now,” a homeless man said as he surveyed the damage.

More Rain Coming

The forecast for the Los Angeles Basin for today calls for periods of rain and maximum temperatures in the low to mid-50s, with rain tapering to showers tonight, said Dave Beusterien of Weather Data Inc., which provides forecasts to The Times. Variable clouds with a chance of showers were forecast for Sunday.

More and heavier snow was predicted for today in Southern California mountain areas, with snow levels dropping to 5,000 feet today and 3,000 feet Sunday, Beusterien said.

Not surprisingly, stores selling warm clothes and ski equipment were doing a brisk trade Friday.

“We’re completely sold out for rentals,” said Matt Byran, a salesman at Craig’s Snow Job in West Los Angeles. “Hard goods like skis go around Christmas. The clothing goes right now.”

A light snow had already begun to fall at Lake Arrowhead at about 2 p.m. Friday, and residents said they were going to leave water faucets dripping to keep pipes from freezing.

Closer to sea level, light rains caused serious problems for freeway commuters.

Four crashes involving 24 vehicles, including a tanker truck, closed all four lanes on the westbound Ventura Freeway in Calabasas and backed up cars for miles at the height of the rush-hour commute.

The crash occurred about 2:15 p.m. near Las Virgenes Road. At one point, traffic completely stopped for almost five miles.

Scores of drivers poured on to surface streets in search of alternate routes, many of them driving north to the Simi Valley Freeway to find a way into Ventura County.

“It’s a mess,” said Officer Bob Weaver of the California Highway Patrol.