Easter Bonnets Won’t Get Wet but Rain Is Eggspected Sunday

A southbound storm in the Gulf of Alaska was forecast to bring increasing cloud cover and cooler temperatures to Southern California this weekend, but there appeared to be no need to hide an umbrella along with the Easter eggs.

Weather forecasters do not predict light rain to fall until Sunday night or Monday.

“I don’t think Easter Sunday is going to be a washout,” said meteorologist Rick Dittman of WeatherData Inc., which provides forecasts to The Times. “But heck, if we can squeeze a few drops out of those clouds I don’t think anyone is going to complain.”

Still, a week of unusually warm temperatures and hazy afternoon sunshine was expected to give way to a gloomy dome of high clouds by Sunday night, especially at beaches already plagued by sporadic riptide conditions.

“Come on down and have fun,” said Tom Viren, a spokesman for the Los Angeles County Department of Beaches and Harbors. “But to be on the safe side, be careful and swim close to an opened lifeguard station.”

The cloudy weather should pose no threat at all to annual Easter sunrise services from Skid Row to the Hollywood Bowl, where an estimated 15,000 worshipers are expected to attend ecumenical sermons scheduled to start at 5:15 a.m. Temperatures at sunrise Sunday--6:22 a.m.--are predicted to be in the mid-50s.

In most inland regions, the cooling trend will begin today with highs in the mid-80s, falling to the low 50s and mid-40s at night.

Temperatures for the coastal region today are expected to reach the mid-70s, with lows in the 50s. Surf should be a calm two feet, with sailing breezes of 12 to 18 m.p.h. blowing from south to southwest.

Light rain and sporadic showers were predicted for the mountain areas through Monday, when the storm is expected to move out of the area.