Gray Skies Just Teasing--They Bring No Rain

Gray skies hung over Orange County on Monday, offering cooler temperatures but no chance of much-needed rain, forecasters said.

The heavy marine layer and moderate temperatures are expected again today, but the skies should clear up and the weather should get warmer by Wednesday or Thursday, said Ken German, a meteorologist for WeatherData Inc., which provides forecasts for The Times.

The clouds, caused by a low-pressure system in the area, created mild temperatures, in contrast with last week’s scorching heat wave and blustery Santa Ana conditions, which sent mercury levels shooting up into the mid-90s.

“This low pressure has thickened up the marine layer and caused it to stay around a little longer in the day,” German said. Nonetheless, he added, “the air above is still quite dry. There won’t be any rain, but you might see some pretty good sea breezes in the afternoon.”

Temperatures in the county Monday reached highs in the upper 70s inland and low 70s along the coast, German said. Humidity levels hovered in the 80% range in the morning, decreasing to 60% in the afternoon, German said.

Although the clouds will disappear later in the week, they should return for the weekend, but they, too, will bring little hope of rain, German said.