Showers Make Rare September Appearance, May Be Back

Rare September showers sprinkled Orange County over the weekend, and forecasters say Southern California may get even more drizzles today.

A fireworks display in conjunction with a Hollywood Bowl concert Saturday night was punctuated by a brilliant celestial display of lightning.

“This weather is a preview of late fall and winter,” said Bill Hibbert, a meteorologist for WeatherData Inc., which provides forecasts for The Times. “We’ve already seen discussions of snow down to the 5,000-foot level in the northern Sierra, and down to 8,000 feet in southern mountains.”

By midday Sunday, Santa Ana had recorded .07 inch of rain. San Juan Capistrano recorded .03 inch, while Anaheim had .01. Los Angeles recorded .01 inch of rain, San Diego reported .08, Escondido .20, and Beaumont and Big Bear Lake had rainfall of .04 inch and .05 inch, respectively. Even Palm Springs--with a high temperature of 101 on Sunday--had .02 inch of rain.

Wetter in the North

The Southern California showers were pale in contrast with weekend weather in Sacramento, where 1.79 inches of rain fell during violent thunderstorms generated during the last gasp of Hurricane Octave.

“The drizzle now is a result of leftover moisture from ex-Hurricane Octave, which dissipated over the weekend,” Hibbert said. “The storm pushed moisture into California at the same time a strong low-pressure system began moving through.”

The combination of the hurricane, the normal onshore flow of moist air and the low pressure “create a very good opportunity for clouds and drizzle to form,” Hibbert said. “A new low-pressure system entering the state now could pop off some showers in mountain and offshore areas.”

Below-Normal Temperatures

Skies will be partly cloudy today, with a chance of showers or thundershowers, especially in the mountains and deserts, the National Weather Service said. Skies should begin clearing tonight and Tuesday will be mostly sunny, but with continued below-normal temperatures.

Orange County, with a high of 77 in Santa Ana on Sunday, should remain cool today, with afternoon temperatures climbing only into the mid-60s to low 70s, said National Weather Service meteorologist Gary Nuemann. Lows tonight will range from the lows 50s to low 60s. Mountain areas will see lows between the mid-30s and low 40s.

Deserts will be cooler than normal today, with possible thundershowers, the weather service said. In the high desert, high temperatures will reach only the 70s. The mercury in the low desert will reach the low 80s to the low 90s.