Flooding and accidents in Tuesday’s rain; slight chance of showers early Wednesday
A man walks his dogs through Fairview Park under rain clouds after a hard yet brief squall passed through the area in Tuesday morning.
A storm drenched drought-stricken Orange County with nearly 2 inches of rain in some areas Tuesday, causing flooding in Newport Beach and several accidents.
Newport Beach police closed Newport Boulevard at 5 a.m. between West Coast Highway and Hospital Road after commuters complained of flooding.
“One of the callers had a 4-by-4 truck and had trouble getting through the water,” said police spokeswoman Jennifer Manzella.
Newport Boulevard was reopened at 8:18 a.m. after city crews cleared blocked storm drains, Manzella said.
Marine Way in Irvine was closed shortly after midnight because of flooding. The road had not reopened by Tuesday afternoon.
Irvine residents can pick up as many as 10 filled sandbags from the city’s Operations Support Facility at 6427 Oak Canyon. Sandbags also are available at the Orange County Fire Authority stations at 301 E. Yale Loop in Irvine and at 1241 Irvine Blvd. and 11490 Pioneer Way, both in Tustin.
Rain started Tuesday shortly after midnight and continued on and off throughout the day. The National Weather Service forecast a slight chance of showers for Wednesday morning, followed by sunny skies. Conditions are expected to remain warm and humid, with highs in the 70s and 80s during the next several days.
The weather service issued a flood advisory early Tuesday, warning of slick roads because of the rain, which was measuring roughly a half-inch per hour in some areas. The wet weather is the result of a low pressure system developing off Northern California combining with remnant moisture from former Hurricane Linda, the weather service reported.
Dozens of traffic collisions were reported throughout Orange County, according to the California Highway Patrol’s website. Several SigAlerts were issued on local freeways as a result of crashes on the rain-slicked pavement.