Drought Still Reigning : Half-Inch of Rainfall Just a Drop in the Bucket

A storm that blew out of Baja California unloaded up to half an inch of rain in some spots in Orange County Wednesday, causing a mud slide that closed much of Ortega Highway, minor street flooding and a rash of freeway fender-benders.

The good news is that fair, warm weather with daytime temperatures in the 70s is expected today and throughout the weekend, forecasters say.

The bad news is that the rainfall, while extending the drive time for many commuters, represented a mere spritz compared to the torrents needed to break four years of drought conditions.

“The storm had a minimal impact on the water supply,” said Jim Van Haun, a spokesman for the Orange County Water District. “It would take a string of these storms over a long period of time to make a big difference.”

A spokesman for the Los Angeles-based Metropolitan Water District, which supplies some water to Orange County, agreed.

“This is peanuts--no, not even peanuts. It’s peanut shells,” Jay Malinowski said in assessing the storm’s impact on the water shortage.

“People don’t understand how much water it takes to break a drought. Any time we talk drought, drought, drought and a little storm blows through, you don’t know how many calls we get from people wondering if the drought’s over.”

Rain fell sporadically throughout the day, sometimes in a deluge. A flash flood caused a mudslide on Ortega Highway and forced closure of a 25-mile stretch of road at about 4 p.m., California Highway Patrol Officer Joe Wolf said.

Work crews planned to repair the roadway overnight and reopen it sometime today. The closure extends from La Pata Avenue several miles east of Interstate 5 to four miles west of Lake Elsinore city limits at Lookout Point.

Ortega is used by commuters traveling between Orange and Riverside counties, Wolf said.

Heavy rains resulted in some flooding along streets in the county. Shortly after 1 p.m. Harbor Boulevard between the San Diego Freeway and MacArthur Boulevard in Costa Mesa was flooded on one side, slowing traffic to a crawl.

“It was like someone turned on the tap and the storm drains just couldn’t keep pace,” said one Costa Mesa police dispatcher after a 30-minute downpour at midday.

CHP Officer Linda Burrus said more than 20 rain-related automobile accidents were reported Wednesday morning when commuters hit the suddenly slick freeways. “There were only three minor injuries,” Burrus said. “But we were very busy. It always happens when it rains. Motorists have to slow down and be more alert to their surroundings.”

The rain was so heavy at times that even those with umbrellas got wet.

“It was coming down so hard and fast that it was like I had no umbrella,” said Janice Elkins, an Irvine resident caught in a noontime downpour as she sloshed her way from the Nordstrom department store to her car in a South Coast Plaza parking lot. “I was soaked by the time I reached the car. And then I couldn’t find my keys in my purse. Who says it doesn’t rain in California? It was pouring.”

The highest amount of rainfall was recorded in Oceanside, with .65 of an inch. Newport Beach recorded .53 of an inch and Santa Ana rainfall stood at .37 late Wednesday.

Staff writer Steven R. Churm contributed to this story.