Rain causes trouble

A 30-foot sailboat ran aground in Corona del Mar and a car toppled a light post in Costa Mesa as a strong storm tore through the Newport-Mesa area Monday.

The bout of rain was the heaviest this season as coastal Orange County got up to 2 1/2 inches of rain in just a few hours, according to meteorologist Stefanie Sullivan of the National Weather Service.

Today will be mostly dry with occasional light rain, but a thunderstorm is expected to hit about sunrise Wednesday morning and last through the day, according to the weather service.

“For coastal Orange County [Wednesday] probably won’t be as serious as this morning was,” said weather service forecaster Miguel Miller, but heavy rain is practically a guarantee.

An out-of-control car driving down Harbor Boulevard between Wilson Street and Fair Drive hit a concrete light pole, knocking it into the street Monday morning, Costa Mesa police said.

The pole fell into the street, blocking a couple of lanes of northbound traffic and causing a temporary closure, said Lt. Paul Dondero, but no injuries were reported.

“It was probably just rain that made the person lose control for whatever reason,” Dondero said.

In Newport Beach, the storm broke a 30-foot boat loose from its anchor off of Corona del Mar and carried it onto the beach on the east end of Big Corona, according to the harbor patrol. Waves up to 12 feet and strong winds brought in by the weather system tore it away from its mooring.

“There was no time for anyone to respond. It broke anchor and was on shore within a minute or two,” Sgt. John Hollenbeck said.

The boat wasn’t seriously damaged, Hollenbeck said.

On land in Newport Beach, the storm didn’t cause any major traffic accidents, Lt. Jeff Lu said.

“I think we came through it pretty good. I haven’t heard anything significant,” he said.

A few streets were blocked off in both cities, though, as minor flooding occurred.

After heavy rain Wednesday, the storm should subside altogether, and the Newport-Mesa area shouldn’t see any more rain for a while, Miller said.