Heavy Rain Due as Record Cold Begins to Let Up

Arctic cold began losing its grip on California late Tuesday as heavy clouds moved in off the Pacific to lead the way for what forecasters said could be a very wet winter storm lasting through Thursday.

Although Los Angeles had a record low maximum temperature and many Northern California points posted record-breaking cold readings for the third straight day, growers were heartened by the cloud cover that seemed to protect the state’s large orange crop from suffering as much damage as had been feared.

Los Angeles County strawberry farmers and San Francisco Bay Area flower growers were not so fortunate, however, as two days of freezing weather did them significant harm.

Tuesday’s Los Angeles Civic Center high of 53 was a record for the lowest maximum on a Feb. 7, breaking the old mark of 54 set in 1949. The high today should be in the mid 50s.

As for the rain, which was expected to be general by today, meteorologist Rick Dittmann of WeatherData Inc., which provides forecasts for The Times, said the clouds were “streaming in” as one low-pressure system developed off the Southern California coast and another was forming off Central California.

“There is ample moisture out there,” Dittmann said, “and it seems to be headed right for Central and Southern California.

“The air mass in Southern California is very cold right now,” Dittmann said. “As the rain comes in, it will override that cold air mass and will cause lower snow levels. Then, as it rains for a day, the snow levels will rise.”

He said the initial snow levels could be as low as 3,000 feet.

He predicted up to an inch of rain in the Los Angeles Basin, as well as 4 to 6 inches of snow in the Antelope Valley.

A winter storm watch was declared for today in Southland mountains and deserts by the National Weather Service, which forecast slightly less than an inch of rain but said snowfall in the mountains should be 8 to 12 inches.

Although the state’s citrus growers were largely aided by Monday’s clouds and by wind machines or orchard heaters, flower growers in Half Moon Bay and other parts of San Mateo County--the nation’s third largest outdoor flower-growing area--lost an estimated 95% of their daisies, as well as many irises and other flowers.

John Muller, owner of Daylight Nursery in Half Moon Bay, said the cold snap was “a real bad blow,” coming as it did just before St. Valentine’s Day.

Other agricultural areas hurt by the cold included Monterey County, where broccoli and cauliflower crops were just sprouting.

In Los Angeles County, supervising agricultural biologist Gary Maxwell of the county agricultural commissioner’s office estimated that there had been a 25% loss of strawberry fruit and blooms. He said the cost probably was about $250,000.

The nursery industry may have lost another $200,000, said Maxwell, because of damage to such tropical and subtropical plants as hibiscus and bougainvillea.

Also in Los Angeles, continued cold and the forecast of rain over the next couple of days prompted city and county officials to keep recreation centers and National Guard armories open to the homeless for the fifth consecutive night.

Record minimum temperatures for the date were recorded at several Northern California locations, including San Francisco International Airport with 32 degrees; Alameda Naval Air Station, 32; Santa Cruz, 24 (which was also an all-time low for that city); Sacramento, 23 (which was also the coldest temperature of any February day since 1884), and Red Bluff, 22.

Fresno set a Feb. 7 minimum temperature record with 24 degrees, and Bakersfield did so with 26.

In the Sierra Nevada, Truckee recorded its second 35 below zero reading in two days.

Times staff writer Jenifer Warren contributed to this article.