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Cold air follows hard rain

Gary Robbins, science writer-editor — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 13:00:14 +0000

9:25 p.m.

Cold air is flowing into Orange County, dropping temperatures into the low 40s, following a quick-hit storm that drenched some areas with nearly an inch of rain in less than three hours. Light snow is expected to fall overnight above the 5,000 foot level in the Santa Ana Mountains and flurries are possible as low as 3,000 feet, the National Weather Service says.

The core of the storm surged ashore around 2:30 p.m., just hours after unstable air produced a charcoal-colored funnel cloud over Garden Grove. Thunder rumbled across northern Orange County and cloud-to-cloud lightning flickered like the spark of a cigarette lighter. Hail briefly fell in Brea, Fullerton and Diamond Bar.

The county’s hillsides and canyons are quickly turning greener than a leprechaun’s coat, virtually ending the threat of wildfires, for now. But the rain has placed further stress on some areas, raising the possibility of mudslides and debris flows.

Some cities — notably, Fullerton — now have now received about 13” of rain this season, or roughly the amount the county averages in a complete year. And forecasters say more precip is likely before the core of the season (July 1-June 30) ends in mid-March.

Today’s rainfall, so far

Garden Grove: 0.83”
Brea: 0.79”
Anaheim: 0.71”
Upper Silverado Canyon: 0.67”
Huntington Beach: 0.63”
Westminster: 0.63”
Yorba Linda: 0.63”
Fullerton: 0.63”
San Juan Capistrano: 0.51
Buena Park: 0.51”
Los Alamitos: 0.50”
Laguna Niguel Lake: 0.43”
Coto de Caza: 0.39”
Villa Park Dam: 0.37”

Source: County of Orange

Fast fact: The temperature hasn’t hit 70 or above at John Wayne Airport since Jan. 15.

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Storm gave year of water to 8,000 people

Gary Robbins, science writer-editor — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 22:15:57 +0000

SOMEWHERRRRRRE ... Gregg Smith of Newport Beach took this image of a rainbow on Saturday.

The Orange County Water District says it captured about 650 million gallons of water from the Pacific storm that hit the region with unexpected force over the weekend. That’s enough water to serve 2,000 families of four for one year. And it adds to a seasonal capture rate that’s significant.

In a good year, OCWD collects enough runoff to service 200,000 of the 2.3 million people it provides water to in northern and central Orange County, says Adam Hutchinson, the agency’s director of recharge operations.

And OCWD is having a good year. Through today, the agency has recorded 12.86” of rain at its field station in Anaheim, on the Santa Ana River, off La Palma. Average seasonal rainfall (dating back to 1963) is 14.5” at that site. Hutchinson says an additional 0.66” of rain is expected from a storm forecast for late Tuesday night.

OCWD diverts the runoff into settling ponds in the Santa Ana River and allows the water to seep into the region’s groundwater table. Even though that table is large, about half of the water consumed in Orange County comes from the Sierra Nevada and Colorado River.

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19 UCI buildings have fire safety problems

Gary Robbins, science writer-editor — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 19:25:48 +0000

Many of UCI's older instruction and research buildings need fire safety improvements, says a new report. This image shows on of UCI's original social science towers. Image courtesy of UCI.

Updated at 2:24 p.m.

At least 19 buildings at UC Irvine have fire alarm and suppression systems that are obsolete or deficient, says a capital improvement report submitted to the University of California’s Board of Regents in November.

The report doesn’t identify the buildings by name, but says that 17 are used for instruction and research. The other structures are two of UCI’s oldest residence halls — Mesa Courts Unit 1 and Middle Earth, which jointly house hundreds of people. More than $7 million is needed for wide-ranging repairs, upgrades and replacements, and tens of millions more are required to upgrade various buildings that are aging badly, the report says.

The shortcomings are pointed out in “2009-2015: State and Non-State Capital Improvement Program,” a report that also says that two health science buildings (Med Surge 1 and 2) “have deteriorated over the years, and building systems are no longer adequate to support modern medical research technologies and practices.” Replacing the buildings will cost $43 million.

The report analyzes what capital improvements the UC’s 10 campuses would like to make over the next five years. UCI’s “wish list” totals more than $534 million in projects, ranging from a $64 million science building to a $5.1 million cancer laboratory to an $8 million “Center for Awareness, Reflection and Meditation.”

The report says UCI is straining to handle rapid growth, and that some of the impact involves public safety.

“The fire-alarm systems in a number of instruction and research buildings are obsolete, increasingly difficult to service, and lacking many of the features and safeguards of modern systems,” the report says on page 49. “The capital program includes a project to replace deficient systems in 17 campus buildings.

On page 57, the report calls for $15 million in renovations to Mesa Court Units 1 and 2. The report notes that “the fire alarm system will be replaced in Unit 1, as recommended by the Fire Marshal.”

UCI also needs $7 million to renovate the Middle Earth residence hall. The renovation includes “design and installation of a new code-compliant fire suppression system.”

The report proposes $7 million for fire safety improvements, saying, “This project will improve fire safety and address ADA safety code requirements through replacement of obsolete and problematic fire alarm systems in 17 campus buildings. The project will install modern pull stations, smoke and heat detectors, and audio-visual signal devices to meet all current codes.”

This afternoon, Cathy Lawhon, UCI’s media director, said in an email, “On a campus this large, improving and updating our fire alarm and fire sprinkler systems is a continuous effort. Each year we request funds from the U.C. Regents and other sources for systems that are older and not as effective. We put them all on a prioritized list and replace them as the funds become available. Last year we updated the systems in four buildings.”

Other highlights from the report:

Biological Sciences Greenhouse Replacement ($15 million): “Time, program growth, and the progress of technology have combined to render the facility inadequate to support the needs of biological sciences programs.”

Verano Unit 4 Renovation/Replacement ($41 million): “This graduate and family housing complex, which consists of 20 buildings housing 200 apartments with 400 beds, was constructed in 1976. The two-story buildings are showing extensive deterioration due to age, exposure to the elements, and water penetration in many areas. After evaluating the alternatives — renovation or replacement of the facilities — it was determined that the replacement option would be more cost-effective.

Humanities and Social Sciences Classroom Renovations ($2.3 million): “This project will provide renovations and technology upgrades in two of UCI’s oldest lecture halls: Humanities Hall 178, which has technology deficiencies, and Social Sciences Hall, which has HVAC deficiencies, poor sightlines and acoustics for today’s technologies, and access and entry point limitations.

Sciences Buildings Renovations ($19 million): “This project will renovate science facilities that have seriously deteriorated building systems, or systems that can no longer support the technology required for laboratory-intensive instruction and research activities.”

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UCI opens $40 million doctor training center

Gary Robbins, science writer-editor — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 13:00:16 +0000

"MED-ED" center debuts. Illustration courtesy of UCI.

Physicians and scientists this week will begin moving into a new $40.5 million medical education center at UC Irvine that features a 60-seat “televideo” auditorium where students can watch doctors use teleconferencing to provide care to patients in rural and remote areas of the state. Medical students also will be able to watch real-time medical procedures that doctors perform at UCI Douglas Hospital in Orange.

The auditorium is part of a growing effort by the University of California system to expand in “telemedicine,” a type of care that’s considered especially important to patients who currently have limited access to specialists. UC San Diego and UC Davis are currently building similar centers, and UCLA has been expanding its well-established telemedicine system.

The initiative is largely being funded by the public, following the 2006 passage of Proposition 1D, which, among other things, provided the UC with $200 million to expand medical schools and telemedicine. The UC lobbied hard for the proposition, saying that the state faces a major shortage of doctors in the next decade.

UCI’s new 65,000 square-foot Medical Education Building also is meant to broaden and improve teaching at the UCI School of Medicine, which has about 400 medical students. UCI says the building also includes “a clinical simulation lab and clinical skills center. Students will utilize digitally controlled, full-body simulators in operating-room and trauma-room settings, and the televideo room will allow students to see medicine practiced at distant locations with real-time ability to communicate with clinical instructors.

“(Students) study everything from how to respond in a medical crisis to how to suture a would and draw blood properly. They do all this and more under the watchful eye of professor-physicians or via sophisticated simulation technology.”

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Satellite image of Washington, D.C. blizzard

Gary Robbins, science writer-editor — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 00:56:08 +0000

NASA’s Terra satellite took this image of what the Mid-Atlantic seaboard looked like Saturday, Feb. 6, 2010 after a blizzard dropped 32.4 inches of snow on Washington, D.C., and impressive amounts in Virginia, Pennsylvania and southern New Jersey.

NASA says, “Crashed and abandoned cars littered roads as airlines canceled hundreds of flights. Even the DC Metro underground train system stopped functioning in places. Authorities urged residents to stay indoors, but hundreds of thousands lost electricity.”

View of International Space Station ‘above’ Laguna Beach

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Mudslide danger replaces wildfire threat

Gary Robbins, science writer-editor — Sun, 07 Feb 2010 14:56:23 +0000

MENACING SKIES: John Lyman took this image on Saturday while low, moist clouds were drifting over the Huntington Beach Pier.

Only two months ago, residents of a parched Orange County were asking, “Will the dry Santa Ana winds spread big wildfires?” Now, people wonder aloud, “Will the hillsides hold up? We’ve had so much rain.”

One anxiety has been replaced by another due to a shift in the jet stream.

For the past couple of years, the jet stream didn’t consistently drop south and deliver powerful storms to Southern California. Since mid-January, the opposite has been true. The latest system was roughly twice as strong as forecast. And now, some areas of the county have received close to a year’s worth of precipitation, and the start of spring is still about six weeks away. This might turn out to be a “wet” year, or one in which seasonal rainfall is significantly above normal. That hasn’t happened since 2005.

Since the rainy season began on July 1, Fullerton Airport has received 12.19” of rain, which is 6.65” above average. The airport’s historic average for the season (July 1-June 30) is about 13”. John Wayne Airport has received 10.95” for the season, so far. That’s 3.85” above average.

Scott O'Donnell of Placentia took this image of northern Santa Catalina Island on Saturday afternoon. The photograph was taken from Orange.

Some of the heaviest precipitation has fallen in the county’s eastern foothills and canyons, where rain-soaked hillsides have given way many times over the years. The danger of slides is real, and the hills likely won’t have much time to dry. The National Weather Service says a modest storm could reach Orange County late Tuesday and last into early Wednesday. And a weaker system is possible for next Friday.

L.A. Times: ‘Niagara’ of mud hits homes in La Canada Flintridge

Sample of the heaviest rainfall from the Friday-Saturday storm: (These are preliminary figures that don’t include last night’s scattered showers.)

Santiago Peak: 5.35”
Upper Silverado Canyon: 3.11”
Upper Harding Canyon: 2.87”
Brea: 2.76”
Villa Park Dam: 2.58”
Dana Hills: 2.54” (private weather station)
Garden Grove: 2.48”
Anaheim: 2.32”
San Clemente: 2.24”
Westminster: 2.24”
Lower Oso Creek: 2.24”
Huntington Beach: 2.20”
Buena Park: 2.20”
Trabuco Canyon: 2.14″
Fountain Valley: 2.17”
San Juan Capistrano: 2.13”
Upper Aliso Creek: 2.01”
Fullerton Airport: 2.01”
John Wayne Airport: 1.96”

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Bands of rain moving ashore

Gary Robbins, science writer-editor — Sat, 06 Feb 2010 13:39:13 +0000

Click here to view the embedded video.

Scott O’Donnell of Placentia produced this time-lapse video of clouds drifting above north Orange County today. The video was taken between 11 a.m. and 12:30 p.m.

Updated 6:51 p.m.

The cold tail of a Pacific storm is blowing ashore in Orange County and could drop 0.25” to 1” of rain on a region that unexpectedly got more than 2.5” of precipitation from a fickle system between Friday afternoon and early today. About half that much rain had been forecast. (Totals below). Showers have been reported from Seal Beach to Lake Forest. And a reader reported thunder in Costa Mesa at 6:45 p.m.

Thunderstorms are possible until late this evening, along with hail. The temperature of the atmosphere was minus 23 degrees at 20,000 feet earlier today, and the atmosphere is cooling as the trough moves through. Showers could linger into Sunday morning, making runners miserable during the Surf City Marathon, which begins in Huntington Beach at 6:30 a.m. The Register’s Cindy Carcamo reports that the weekend rains have already ” shut down Ortega Highway to westbound traffic until Sunday morning after the road washed out earlier today, California Highway Patrol officials said.

“Westbound lanes around the 6-mile marker are closed and the eastbound lanes are only open to nearby residents and employees of the Nichols Institute in San Juan Capistrano, CHP officials reported.”

A flash flood watch is in effect until 4 a.m. Sunday. A winter storm warning is in effect for the San Bernardino Mountains. Hazdaroudous weather outlook statement.

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“We expect the rain to come in bands, and the system won’t be completely out of here until sometime Sunday,” says Noel Isla.

Sample of rainfall between Friday afternoon and 2 p.m. Saturday.

Santiago Peak: 5.35”
Upper Silverado Canyon: 3.11”
Upper Harding Canyon: 2.87”
Brea: 2.76”
Villa Park Dam: 2.58”
Dana Hills: 2.54” (private weather station)
Garden Grove: 2.48”
Anaheim: 2.32”
San Clemente: 2.24”
Westminster: 2.24”
Lower Oso Creek: 2.24”
Huntington Beach: 2.20”
Buena Park: 2.20”
Trabuco Canyon: 2.14″ (private weather station)
Fountain Valley: 2.17”
San Juan Capistrano: 2.13”
Upper Aliso Creek: 2.01”
Fullerton Airport: 2.01”
Yorba Linda: 2:01”
Costa Mesa: 1.97”
Coto de Caza: 1.93”
Modjeska Canyon: 1.89”
Fullerton Airport: 1.85”
Santa Ana: 1.77”
Irvine: 1.73”
Upper Newport Bay: 1.82” (private weather station)
Orange: 1.81”
Corona del Mar: 1.81”
Laguna Niguel Lake: 1.81”
Santa Ana: 1.77”
Laguna Audubon: 1.54”
Ladera Ranch: 1.42”
Placentia: 1.40”
Lake Forest: 1.35”
Laguna Beach: 1.02”
County of Orange rain gauges

The incoming trough follows the unpredictable west Pacific storm that greatly strengthened overnight, creating mudslide and debris flow dangers in the eastern foothills and canyons and producing street flooding countywide. The southbound lanes of Pacific Coast Highway in Huntington Beach are closed between Warner and Golden West. And much of the county has been hit by winds gusting up to 30 mph.

Snow Summit, this morning.

Originally, forecasters thought the storm would drop 0.75” to 1” of rain by Friday evening. At 9 p.m., most of the county had received half that much. But the storm gained power just after midnight, unleashing torrential rains that sent rainfall totals to 2.7”, or more, in spots. (Totals below).

“The air suddenly become unstable; it’s one of those things you can’t always predict,” said Phil Gonsalves, a weather service forecaster. Such instability can greatly increase rainfall.

Carcamo reports that, “Power outages were reported throughout the county. In the Costa Mesa-Newport Beach area, a circuit went out overnight, cutting power to 1,776 dwellings and businesses.

“Crews restored power to all but 62 customers by 11 a.m., Southern California Edison spokesman Charles Coleman said. Electricity was scheduled to return to those 62 customers by 5 p.m. Saturday, he added.

“In Irvine, 3,300 customers suffered a power outage that lasted about a half hour, starting at about 11:36 a.m. The outage was reported in an area that included the Irvine Police Department, Coleman said.

“Smaller outages were scattered throughout the county, Coleman added.”

By this evening, Fullerton Airport will have recorded about 12.5” of rain since July 1, or roughly as much as the airport historically averages in a 12 month rainy season.

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Heart of storm hitting O.C. now

Gary Robbins, science writer-editor — Fri, 05 Feb 2010 14:10:02 +0000

Thunderstorm cell moving into south Orange County. Image courtesy of NOAA.

8:23 p.m. update

As forecast, things have gotten nasty.

The heart of a storm that swirled to life Wednesday 1,500 miles offshore is now cycling through Orange County, dropping rain that ranges from light to moderate to heavy. The National Weather Service thought the core would be through the county by 7 p.m. But it now appears that significant rain will continue to lash the county through late this evening.

The system is very cold and unstable; two readers say thunder loudly echoed through San Juan Capistrano at 5:15 p.m. More thunderstorms are possible.

By the time the system passes through, many areas of the county could have recorded 0.75” to 1” of rain. Forecasters say today’s storm, and a smaller system late Saturday, could drop between 0.75” to 2” of rain on the county, which recently emerged from a lengthy local drought.

(Email your weather photos to grobbins@ocregister.com).

“Rainfall rates could exceed one half inch per hour at times during the storm, especially across south facing slopes and near thunderstorms,” says the weather service. “This will bring the potential for local flash flooding and debris flows, and periods of urban and small stream flooding.”

A flash flood watch for the Santa Ana Mountains and foothills goes into effect at 4 p.m. And winter storm warning is in effect for the San Bernardino Mountains. At 5:50 p.m., it was 35 degrees at Big Bear City, where light rain was falling. Forecasters say Big Bear will get a combination of rain and snow overnight. Mountain roads are treacherous.

Sample of rainfall through 8:15 p.m.

Santiago Peak: 1.26”

Westminster: 0.63”

Huntington Beach: 0.63”

Anaheim: 0.59”

Lower Oso Creek: 0.51”

Laguna Audubon: 0.51”

Garden Grove: 0.47”

San Juan Capistrano: 0.43”

Fountain Valley: 0.39”

John Wayne Airport: 0.36”

Newport Coast: 0.35”

Placentia: 0.34”

Fullerton: 0.28”

Steve Vanderburg, a weather service forecaster, said this morning, “The storm has really slowed down. It was moving 15-20 knots, but now it is only moving about 5 knots. That’s good for Orange County because it means the rain will last longer. You should get some stronger, isolated showers in early afternoon. But we expect the heavier stuff after 4 p.m., and the rain will last off-and-on through the night.

As this system whirls through, a giant snow storm is hitting the eastern seaboard. That storm could delay flights to the Washington D.C.-Baltimore area, and possibly Philadelphia. People flying out of John Wayne Airport, Long Beach Airport and LAX should check their flight status. The Seattle Times reports that Delta and Southwest have canceled many flights scheduled to land or take-off from Washington D.C. and Baltimore. Amtrak service also has been disrupted.

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The weather service estimates the following amounts of rain will fall by late Saturday night. The estimates are higher than they were yesterday, and represent the total of both systems. (Source material)

• Upper Silverado Canyon: 1.99”
• Carbon Canyon: 1.82”
• Modjeska Canyon: 1.76”
• Villa Park Dam: 1.67”
• Fullerton: 1.55”
• Anaheim: 1.54”
• Brea: 1.53″
• Laguna Beach: 1.53″
• Huntington Beach: 1.46”
• Newport Beach: 1.49”
• San Clemente: 1.27”

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Snow storm could delay eastbound flights

Gary Robbins, science writer-editor — Fri, 05 Feb 2010 00:06:56 +0000

Satellite image of eastern United States, taken Thursday afternoon.

The National Weather Service says a sprawling winter storm will drop from 1′ to 2′ of snow on parts of the eastern seaboard between Friday night and late Saturday, possibly delaying eastbound flights that originate at John Wayne Airport, Long Beach Airport and LAX. People scheduled to travel to Philadelphia, Baltimore, Washington D.C. and Richmond, Virginia should regularly check their flight status. New York City and Newark, N.J. are only expected to get 3” to 6” of snow. But airports in those cities could be affected if flights are diverted by other terminals.

The Weather Channel also is warning travelers, noting online that a storm that’s dropping heavy rain in the South today “may pale into comparison to what is going to fall in Northern Virginia, Maryland, Delaware, southeastern Pennsylvania and south Jersey.

“Over a foot of snow is likely to fall in the Beltway of Washington and Baltimore by Saturday evening. Across the region around the northern Chesapeake Bay and Delaware Bay, some locations could top 2 feet of snow.”

The snow also is going to slow traffic on parts of I-95 on the east coast, forecasters say.

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5.9 earthquake shakes northern California

Gary Robbins, science writer-editor — Thu, 04 Feb 2010 20:59:08 +0000

Updated 5:15 p.m.

A magnitude 5.9 earthquake erupted beneath the seafloor at 12:20 p.m., 47 miles west-southwest of Eureka, shaking a large area of northern California and parts of the central coast, the U.S. Geological Survey says. The temblor comes less than one month after a 6.5 quake beneath the ocean in a nearby area.

USGS issued a statement saying, “The probability of a strong and possibly damaging aftershock in the next 7 days in approximately 53 percent.” The prediction is based on seismic patterns from previous quakes, and scientist’s understanding of the Mendocino fault zone.

Energy from today’s quake traveled to southern Oregon. And there have been isolated reports that the quake, which started 7 miles deep on the Mendocino fault, was felt in Huntington Beach, Stanton, Laguna Hills, Ladera Ranch, and Anaheim, as well as in Los Angeles, Venice, Running Springs, Yucaipa, Claremont and Ventura. (Source material.) But Bob Dollar, a USGS seismologist, says, “I don’t think the quake was felt way down here. People probably felt a passing truck or something, heard about the quake and thought that’s what they felt. This is a bizarre phenomenon; every time we have a big quake at one end of the state, people at the other end say they felt it. Usually, they didn’t.”

There were also artillery exercises at Camp Pendleton today. As we noted in an earlier post, vibrations for artillery fire can cause doors and windows to jiggle, movement that’s often mistaken for an earthquake.

Today’s quake adds to the North Coast’s reputation as being one of the most seismically active regions in the western hemisphere. The Jan. 9 quake caused $40 million in damage, says sfgate.com. Jim Goltz of the California Emergency Management Agency told the Eureka Times-Standard that today’s event might have been an aftershock to the Jan. 9 quake.

Humboldt State University published this list (source material) of quakes that have occurred in and around California’s North Coast:

November 1976: 6.3
November 1980: 6.9-7.4
September 1984: 6.6
July 1991: 6.7-6.9
August 1991: 5.9-6.3
August 1991: 6.0-6.2
August 1991: 6.9-7.1
April 1992: 7.1
April 1992: 6.6
April 1992: 6.7
September 1994: 6.9-7.2
February 1995: 6.6
July 1996: 6.0
January 2010: 6.5

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