Forecasters Expect the Rain to Take a One-Day Break

Orange County got lucky Wednesday when a Pacific storm petered out, but a few showers may linger this morning before the skies clear.

For a day.

Forecasters say another chilly storm should arrive by early Saturday and stay over the weekend, but it was unclear how strong it might be.

The intermittent showers Wednesday produced about half an inch of rain along coastal Orange County, causing the usual rash of traffic accidents and large puddles on some streets.

Rainfall amounts varied across the county, with hardly any reported in Anaheim and about half an inch in Laguna Beach. Temperatures hovered around 60 for much of the day.

But mostly the intermittent showers just annoyed a public thirsty for sunshine and warm breezes.

Authorities said the lack of consistent downpours kept problems to a minimum.

“I think people are now sort of starting to get used to driving in the rain, because we have had such a long spell now,” said CHP spokeswoman Angel Johnson, who nevertheless noted a slight increase in accidents and disabled vehicles.

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Capt. Scott Brown of the Orange County Fire Authority also said few problems arose, though his agency and other county officials kept a close eye on storm drains and culverts and prepared rescue teams to pluck people out of swift water. On Monday, a sudden surge of storm runoff in the Los Angeles River swept away half a dozen construction vehicles that were involved in repairs to the concrete bed; four people had to be rescued.

John Sherwin, a meteorologist with Weatherdata Inc., which provides forecasts for The Times, blamed the bad weather on the jet stream, upper level winds that are directing Pacific storms toward California instead of farther north or south.

He said such a bout of rain is not unusual for the area, which presents a fat target for ocean-borne storms when the winds are right.

Nevertheless, this is shaping up to be a wet year, with rainfall totals well ahead of the season average, according to Weatherdata. So far, Santa Ana has received 12.56 inches of rain, compared with 2.63 inches reported at this time last year. The average for the season, which runs July 1 to June 30, is 12.53 inches.