MOUNTAIN RESIDENTS IMPRISONED

CalTrans, CHP and the Sheriff's Dept. have made the rather extreme decision to imprison a couple of hundred residents of Palomar Mountain over the weekend based on reports of rain that could bring 1-2 inches of rain.

At 10 a.m. tonight Hwy 76 was closed at Valley Center Road and at Lake Henshaw. This effectively imprisoned anyone who was living on Palomar Mountain and prevented anyone who wasn't on the mountain from being able to get home after 10 p.m. These roadblocks were in effect before much in the way of precipitation had fallen.

The closures were announced to be in effect until Monday.

The fear was that Hwy 76 near Harolds Road might become hazardous again as it was last weekend when a culvert under the road filled with debris and a small lake built up along the road, threatening its structural integrity.

Harder to explain was the closure of Hwy 76 at Lake Henshaw since last week residents were allowed in and out by that exit even when the highway was closed at Harolds Road.

A number of mountain residents told The Roadrunner that this was an overreaction by the authorities before much rain has even fallen.

The National Weather Service was predicting the following for Thursday night and Friday night:

A STORM WILL BRING SIGNIFICANT RAIN STARTING LATE TONIGHT. THE STORM
WILL PRODUCE STRONG WINDS OVERNIGHT...WITH STRONGEST WINDS IN THE
MOUNTAINS AND DESERTS. SNOW WILL BE POSSIBLE OVER THE MOUNTAINS
STARTING FRIDAY.

A FLASH FLOOD WATCH IS IN EFFECT FROM 9 PM TONIGHT THROUGH FRIDAY
EVENING FOR ALL AREAS EXCEPT THE LOWER DESERTS. SEE LAXFFASGX FOR
DETAILS.

HIGH WIND WARNING IS IN EFFECT FROM 10 PM TONIGHT THROUGH FRIDAY
EVENING FOR THE MOUNTAINS AND DESERTS. WIND ADVISORY IS IN EFFECT
FROM THIS EVENING THROUGH FRIDAY AFTERNOON FOR THE COASTS AND
VALLEYS. SEE LAXNPWSGX FOR DETAILS.


.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...FRIDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY

SEE DAY ONE SECTION FOR DETAILS FOR FRIDAY.

THE STORM WILL CONTINUE TO BRING RAIN AND MOUNTAIN SNOW THROUGH
SUNDAY. LOCALLY HEAVY RAINS WILL BE POSSIBLE...THOUGH AMOUNTS IN
MOST AREAS WILL BE LESS THAN ONE-HALF INCH. THUNDERSTORMS WITH SMALL
HAIL WILL BE POSSIBLE OVER THE REGION...AS WELL AS WITH WATERSPOUTS
AT THE COAST."