Dreary Days Are Leaving County Behind

The misty mornings and dreary days that have hung over Orange County for the past week are on the way out--without having provided relief from low water levels.

According to meteorologists from WeatherData Inc., which provides forecasts for The Times, weather will start to perk up this weekend, with temperatures rising and clouds disappearing.

Although the clouds cooled things off, they did little to alleviate the drought that has plagued Orange County for the past four years.

“For rainfall to make a difference, it has to be significant,” said Kathleen Cha, spokeswoman for the Orange County Fire Department. “A little rain really doesn’t help.”

In fact, there hasn’t been much rain to speak of, said Shai Patel, an engineering technician with the Orange County Environmental Management Agency. His agency has recorded virtually no rain in the county in the last few days, with Villa Park receiving the only rain this month--less than one-tenth of an inch.

WeatherData meteorologist Marty McKewon said the clouds and mist over much of Orange County are the remnants of hurricane Diana, which touched ground in Mexico. Winds from the southeast have pushed lingering moisture toward the Southland and, mixed with the marine air, made the past few mornings drizzly.

The dry, relatively cloudless weather Southern California experienced last week has moved east, allowing the moisture-laden winds from Mexico to blow in, McKewon said.

WeatherData meteorologist Bill Hibbert said a low-pressure front will move back across Northern and Central California this weekend, bringing rain to that area, but he said chances were very slim that Orange County would see any of that weather.