Can We Expect Rain for the Weekend? You Bet

A betting person couldn’t ask for any better odds that it’s going to rain in Orange County over the weekend.

The Pacific storm track, distorted by a high-pressure area since late January, is shifting back over California, and there is a 50% chance of rain this weekend, the National Weather Service said Thursday.

A weather front associated with a storm off the Washington coast, meteorologists said, will be moving through tonight, leaving moisture and continued cloudiness that could last until Sunday, when clearing skies and warmer temperatures are expected.

There will be a 30% chance of showers by tonight, increasing to 50% by Saturday morning.

The high temperature Thursday in Orange County was 65 in Santa Ana and 59 in Newport Beach. Following overnight lows in the low to middle 40s, the inland areas should warm up to between 55 and 60 today.

Cloudy skies are expected at the beaches today and Saturday, with air and water temperatures both reaching about 57 degrees by mid-afternoon, and surf running 2 to 3 feet on a 12-second interval.

Offshore, yachtsmen keeping to inner waters from Point Conception to the Mexican border were told to expect south to southeast winds to 20 knots, while those venturing into outer waters were warned of 25-knot, south-to-southeast winds and combined seas to eight feet.

Forecasters said afternoon temperatures in Southern California’s mountains should reach from the mid-30s to the low 40s at resort levels, with overnight lows well below freezing. The snow level was expected to descend to 6,000 feet Saturday, with southerly winds to 25 m.p.h. today, shifting west-northwest and rising to 30 m.p.h. Saturday.

Winter storm conditions were predicted for the Sierra, with gusty winds, blowing snow and hazardous driving conditions expected to continue through the weekend. The snow level was expected to drop to 2,500 feet in some places, with winds rising to 30 m.p.h. at times and overnight temperatures dropping into the teens.

Southern California’s deserts can expect showers, too, with west-to-southwest winds gusting to 25 m.p.h. through Saturday. The forecast called for high- and low-desert temperatures to range from the mid-40s to the mid-50s.