Long Holiday Weekend May Start Out With Raindrops

Southlanders hoping to soak up some sun during the three-day weekend may find themselves soaked with raindrops instead.

“The three-day weekend should start out kind of wet,” said Marty McKewon, a forecaster with WeatherData Inc., which provides weather information for The Times.

There’s a 30% chance that showers will dampen Orange County streets and the coast Saturday, but the rain should give way to sunshine by Sunday afternoon.

A storm system that has been developing south of Baja California since Wednesday is expected to move into Orange County and continue to intensify slightly, McKewon said. Some mountain areas in the coastal range could receive up to 0.25 of an inch of rain over the weekend, but showers are expected to be light throughout Orange County, he added.

The rainfall would be the first in February, a month that averages 2.75 inches.

But the area is in the fifth year of a drought, and Santa Ana has received only 1.8 inches of rain so far this year.

By Monday, clouds should scatter, bringing plenty of sun and pushing temperatures into the upper 70s, McKewon said.

“If I had to pick a day of the three, Monday would be the best day (to go to the beach),” McKewon said.

Last weekend, 80-degree temperatures pulled thousands of Southlanders from their homes to the sand. But this Saturday, rain combined with temperatures in the low 60s on the coast should make the beach a lot less inviting.

Warmer temperatures on Monday, Presidents’ Day, should draw good-size holiday crowds to the coast.

“If the weather’s good, I’d imagine it would be pretty crowded,” Huntington Beach lifeguard Matt Karl said.

“Last week, everybody got to thinking that, ‘Hey, if it’s warm, I’ll go out to the beach.’ I expect this weekend will be the same,” Karl said. “It’s almost like spring.”

Rain also is expected to reduce smog levels, which have been high for the past two days. First-stage alerts--meaning the air is unhealthful for everyone--are expected to be in effect today, an air quality official said.

This week’s warm weather may discourage a few would-be skiers from flocking to the slopes for the holiday weekend, which is usually one of the biggest of the year, according to ski resort officials. But snow conditions are good, said Brad Wilson, director of sales for Bear Mountain Ski Resort.

“Most people have made up their minds they’re going to come up here, so they’ll come up regardless,” Wilson said.