Rain, Hail Storms Blamed for 16-Car Crash on Freeway

A slow-moving weather system passed through Southern California Sunday, leaving a trail of tiny hailstones, funnel clouds and brief but violent rain squalls that caused minor flooding in several places--and were blamed for a 16-car freeway pileup.

The National Weather Service blamed it all on an upper-level, low-pressure area over the ocean just west of Vandenberg Air Force Base. Meteorologists said the disturbance would probably keep pushing cold and unstable air ashore until it finally moves eastward into the desert sometime tonight.

Meanwhile, it was impressive enough to cause the weather service to issue a severe thunderstorm watch for Los Angeles, Ventura, Orange, San Diego, Riverside, San Bernardino and Kern counties and coastal waters Sunday afternoon.

Residents of Beaumont, about 25 miles east of Riverside, reported hailstones the size of medium-size buckshot at 3 p.m., and winds rose to 40 m.p.h. and above in several parts of the Southland during the afternoon. No major damage was reported.

Rain was blamed for a serial collision that blocked three northbound lanes of the San Diego Freeway near Brownfield Drive north of Sunset Boulevard, in the Sepulveda Pass area. The California Highway Patrol said one car went out of control on the rain-slick roadway, crashed into the center divider and then collided with two other cars.

The accident grew as car after car found it impossible to stop, and by the time tow trucks and accident investigators arrived, 16 cars were involved. Three people were released after hospital treatment of minor injuries and the freeway was tied up for more than two hours.

By 4 p.m. Sunday San Luis Obispo had received 2.35 inches of rain, while 1.40 had fallen at Coronado, Mt. Wilson got 1.27, Point Loma had 1.23, San Diego reported 1.14, and .95 of an inch was measured at El Toro.