Rain Drops Respectable Readings : Weather: Some parts of the county reported half an inch, but the weatherman forecasts a balmy and sunny Thanksgiving.

A fast-moving storm that dumped more than half an inch of rain in parts of Orange County could be just a memory for most residents by the time they sit down to turkey dinner on a Thanksgiving Day that is guaranteed to be blessed by balmy breezes and sunny skies.

“Things do look to be improving for those of us who don’t like rain,” Marty McKewon, a meteorologist for WeatherData Inc., which provides forecasts for The Times, said Tuesday.

“It looks like we’re heading right back to warm weather,” McKewon said. “In fact, things are going to look pretty decent.”

By Thursday, temperatures that have been lingering in the mid-60s should rise to the middle or upper 70s over the holiday weekend, McKewon said.

Temperatures on Friday should be reminiscent of last week’s heat wave, with the mercury in some areas in Southern California expected to shoot up into the 80s as a high-pressure system moves into the Central Valley, McKewon said.

“We’re going to have a quick warm-up,” he said.

That is good news for the California Highway Patrol, which reported that Monday night’s storm was to blame for more than 70 traffic accidents on Orange County’s freeway system.

The accidents, mostly fender benders caused by motorists unaccustomed to driving on slippery roads, occurred during a 12-hour period that ended at 6 a.m Tuesday, CHP spokeswoman Linda Burrus said.

The accidents ranged from cars slipping over the side of the wet freeways to chain-reaction crashes caused by drivers unable to stop in time.

Luckily, there were no major injuries reported, Burrus said.

Highways were made perilous on the first day of rain in months because water loosened and mixed with caked-on oil and grease, which floated on top of the roadways and caused cars to hydroplane, officials said.

“Cars were just going too fast and they lost control,” Burrus said. “As soon as the officers were cleared from one accident, they were sent to another scene.”

County Environmental Management Agency officials said the storm produced the first measurable rainfall since June.

Santiago Peak, part of Saddleback Mountain, got the most, measuring 1.1 inches of rainfall, while San Juan Capistrano and El Toro each recorded .71 of an inch, EMA spokesman Shailesh Batel reported.

Some parts of central and north Orange County had far less rainfall, he said. Santa Ana had .16 of an inch, Anaheim and Fullerton both had .28 of an inch, Brea had .24 and Cypress had only a trace, at .08 inches.

In the coastal areas, rainfall varied widely, with Huntington Beach registering only .16 of an inch, while Newport and Laguna both had more than half an inch, Batel said.