Old Town Temecula Mishap, Mountain Mess: Mother Nature Deals Blast

RIVERSIDE COUNTY, CA — As hail and snow briefly fell Wednesday afternoon across Southwest Riverside County, a truck owner parked in Old Town Temecula felt the brunt of the winter storm.

Around 3 p.m. amid the weather blitz, a large tree toppled on Fourth Street, west of Old Town Front Street, and landed on the pickup truck and a nearby dumpster.

No injuries were reported and, obviously, it could have been worse.

A large pine tree toppled over and damaged several residences Wednesday in an Idyllwild mobile home park during the winter blast, but no injuries were reported.

The property damage was reported about 2:30 p.m. in the Royal Pines Estates, near the intersection of Delano Drive and Four Chimneys Road, according to the Idyllwild Fire Protection District.

Officials said the tree went down as storm cells moved rapidly through the area, generating high winds and snow.

At least two mobile homes were impacted, but the extent of damage was not immediately clear.

No one was trapped inside their residences.

Firefighters requested assistance from SoCal Edison technicians because power lines were apparently hit when the tree fell.

It was the second weather-related incident with property damage in Idyllwild-Pine Cove.

Part of the roof on an Idyllwild business collapsed Wednesday, but no one was injured.

The structural damage was reported just before noon in the 54300 block of North Circle Drive, less than a mile east of Highway 243, according to the Idyllwild Fire Protection District.

Crews reached the location within minutes and discovered that a portion of the building had caved in, possibly due to weather-related impacts, according to reports from the scene.

The building reportedly was not occupied at the time.

SoCal Edison technicians were requested because of apparent damage to electrical lines.

Cal Fire/Riverside County Fire Department personnel were initially requested to assist, but the engine crews were canceled after it was determined no one was trapped inside the building and there were no injuries, according to officials at the scene.

The Idyllwild-Pine Cove community has received snow and ice in the last week due to winter storms, but it wasn't immediately known whether the inclement weather compromised the structure.

For those curious about the mountain snow, authorities are asking visitors to stay away. Motorists who are not heeding warnings about crazy heavy snow in local mountains are finding themselves stuck in subfreezing conditions. Read more here: 'We Aren't Joking. Stay Off Mountain Roads': Caltrans

—City News Service and Patch Editor Toni McAllister contributed to this report.