Sunny Thanksgiving in View After Rainstorm’s Brief Visit

The storm that descended on bone-dry Southern California Monday night made a quick getaway Tuesday, leaving behind only scant rainfall, clearing skies and the promise of warmer temperatures.

Thanksgiving Day is expected to be warm enough for sunbathing. And by the weekend, temperatures are expected to be in the 80s.

High temperatures for the holiday will be in the mid- to upper 70s, with winds ranging from 10 to 20 m.p.h., said Marty McKewon of Weatherdata Inc., which provides forecasts for The Times. Skies will be mostly sunny.

By Thursday, McKewon said, a storm-diverting high-pressure system will be sitting over most of the state, assuring that the drought-plagued Southland will remain dry, probably into next week.

By Friday and through the rest of the weekend, McKewon said, afternoon temperatures will be in the 80s.

Monday’s storm, the first significant rain in the Los Angeles area since 1.17 inches fell in May, dropped 0.17 of an inch at the Los Angeles Civic Center.

Between July 1 and Monday, only 0.02 of an inch of precipitation had been measured at the Civic Center. The average rainfall for that period is 1.70 inches.

Rainfall from the storm varied, with a little more than half an inch reported in many foothill and mountain areas and, in most cases, lesser amounts along the coast, the National Weather Service reported. Amounts included 0.64 of an inch atop Mt. Wilson, 0.66 in Pasadena and 0.54 in Beaumont. San Juan Capistrano near the Orange County coast had 1 inch, while Santa Monica recorded 0.05.

The wet and windy weather also contributed to power failures throughout the region and a mudslide on Pacific Coast Highway.

The 10 p.m. slide, near the border of Ventura and Los Angeles counties, closed the road for about eight hours, Caltrans spokesman Thomas Knox said. No vehicles were involved and there were no injuries.

Power failures left about 7,200 homes and businesses in the city temporarily without electricity.