Storm Drizzles Past but Doesn’t Dampen Spirits of Whale Lovers

A Pacific storm system passing through Southern California dropped a little more rain here and there Sunday, but that didn’t discourage thousands of leviathan lovers from celebrating the second day of the 15th annual Festival of the Whales in Dana Point.

Beneath gray skies, some of them began the day feasting on whale-shaped pancakes. They visited a marine art exhibit, viewed a model of a whale’s belly and wandered among the tide pools on guided tours.

Other aquatic mammal fans took hourly boat cruises out of Dana Point Harbor in hopes of catching glimpses of a water spout or a fluke splashing as California Gray whales continue their peregrinations down the coast.

In all, Orange County Sheriff’s Department Harbor Patrol officials said, there were an estimated 20,000 enthusiasts who endured the overcast, and sometimes soggy Sunday--about half of Saturday’s attendance.

But for many of those who endured, the trip paid off. “It pretty much drizzled all day,” Sheriff’s Deputy Shawn Dades said, adding “. . . and some whales were seen.”

Forecasters said the sun should break through the clouds for a while today--before another weather system comes in.

Meanwhile, the whales and their calves continue their timeworn, 12,000-mile round trip between the Bering Sea of Alaska and the lagoons of Baja California. Three more weekends of festivities in honor of the gentle seafaring creatures are planned.

Elsewhere in Orange County, the rain was enough to halt Sunday gardening and ground neighborhood lawn mowers. But it did not provide any major problems for traffic officers. The California Highway Patrol reported no serious accidents and very few fender-benders.

The high temperature in Newport Beach on Sunday was 65 degrees, with a total of .05 of an inch rainfall, deputies said. The low temperature there was 54 degrees.

Inland Orange County was a little warmer and drier. In Santa Ana, the high temperature was 68 degrees, the low 52. Only .02 of an inch of rain fell there in the 24 hours ending Sunday afternoon, the Fire Department said.

Forecasters said the coolness and moisture of the air mass behind Sunday’s cold front could cause dense fog in the valleys and along the coast overnight.