Heavy rain puts damper on day

Paul Clinton

A heavy downpour quashed most local activities Saturday, as

organizers canceled their events and drivers that braved the highways

often found themselves in gridlock.

In Newport Harbor, more 25-mph gusting winds and 6-foot-high sea

swells caused the cancellation of a series of sailboat races, Orange

County Sheriff’s Harbor Patrol Sgt. Donna Soto said.

“Everybody came back in,” Soto said.

A red small-craft warning flag flew high above the Harbor Patrol’s

Corona del Mar headquarters. Early Saturday, sheriff’s rescuers

pulled a small boat off the rocks at the jetties, but saw little

action as sheets of water pouring from the sky drove boaters back to

their homes.

In all, the area collected more than one inch of rain, Soto said.

As of 5:30 p.m. Saturday, the National Weather Service reported

1.53 inches of rain at John Wayne Airport, breaking a 51-year-old

record of .73. Newport Beach recorded 1.40 inches at 5:30 p.m.

California Highway Patrol deputies, on the other hand, worked the

local highways as some vehicles spun into each other, as freeways saw

some flooding.

But no one was seriously hurt on the Corona del Mar, Costa Mesa or

San Diego freeways.

“It’s busy,” one CHP dispatcher said. “People are just slipping

and sliding.”

Rains also waterlogged a local Catholic fund-raiser set for 8:30

a.m. The Walk for Life, a pro-life fund-raiser held annually at St.

Joachim Catholic Church, never went off.

The National Weather Service has issued a high surf advisory for

the county’s beaches and harbors through Tuesday and is predicting

scattered rain to continue through tonight.

Local police and fire departments responded to several false

alarms or minor incidents, but neve really had their hands full.

“When it rains this hard, I think people just stay home.” Newport

Beach Police dispatcher Joe Horton said.