Clear, Warmer Days Forecast After Rainstorm Hits Region

Orange County was doused Saturday by a slow-moving storm that dumped more than 1.5 inches of rain in some areas.

By midday, the weather front had moved over Lindbergh Field in San Diego, but not before it had dropped up to an inch of precipitation on northern San Diego County and about half an inch in the south. Along the way, Santa Ana recorded 1.65 inches of rainfall, while there was only 0.7 inches at Newport Beach. San Juan Capistrano received 0.9 inches, and El Toro got 1.24 inches.

Skies Turned Sunny

With the storm gone, skies were mostly sunny Saturday, and daytime temperatures rose to 61 degrees in Santa Ana and 58 degrees at Newport Beach and El Toro. But some cloudiness lingered over the mountains and in southern coastal areas.

Clear, warmer weather is expected today, with high temperatures in the mid-60s in inland Orange County and around 60 degrees at the beach. Overnight lows in the 30s and 40s were forecast. The clearing trend is expected to last through Monday.

While the downpour caused some minor flooding and the usual rash of traffic accidents, there were no serious problems reported in the county.

In Central California, travel was disrupted by a surprise snowstorm that moved into the central Sierra Friday, closing highways, curbing train service and creating avalanche conditions.

Residents of 50 to 100 homes in Placer County’s Squaw Valley, near Lake Tahoe, were warned of “extremely dangerous” conditions caused by the heavy snowfall and advised to leave. The alert was canceled shortly before noon Saturday.

Road crews worked through the night to clear Interstate 80, linking San Francisco and Reno, and other snow-blocked highways. They succeeded in opening the roads by about 9 a.m. Saturday.

Donner Summit reported a 42-inch snowfall, and Blue Canyon, also in the Sierra, received 42 inches of snow in 14 hours, a record for the community. On the east side of the mountains, Mammoth Lakes had three feet of fresh snow. Highway 395 was closed from three miles north of Bishop to Highway 203, until the roadway could be cleared.