New Storm Could Bring More of Same Light Rain

The light showers and cool temperatures that draped over parts of Orange County on New Year’s Day may return tonight and continue into Friday, courtesy of a storm system from the central part of the state.

Forecasters said the rain, which is concentrated around Santa Barbara, may reach Orange County in light spurts. “Certainly nothing too terribly impressive around your area” is expected, said Jon Erdman, meteorologist for WeatherData Inc., which provides forecasts for The Times.

The current storm system, which originates from the north and northwest area of the country, is expected to leave early Saturday morning, Erdman said. Sunshine is expected to break through the clouds early Sunday, he said.

But don’t put away your umbrella just yet.

“It looks like by Sunday during the afternoon, we could have a repeat performance of rain and showers,” staying through early Monday, Erdman said.

The predicted weekend showers are caused by another storm system that is currently gathering steam in Hawaii, he said. Like the current set of storms, the one from Hawaii is expected to hit the north and central parts of the state hard and “may slide southward just like this one has done,” he said.

The second system and the resulting scattered showers that may come to Orange County should leave by midday Monday, he added.

“It’s just a little too early to tell, but perhaps after [Monday], we may have some sun,” Erdman said.

Until then, expect patchy fog in the morning in the coastal area, and high temperatures during the day to range in the 60s, he said.