Chilly Weather in Comeback--With Rain, Hail

Coats and umbrellas are the order of the day for Orange County today, with meteorologists predicting another round of unseasonably cool temperatures accompanied by rain.

Because of the cooler weather, some hail may also fall in the area if an afternoon thundershower develops, said meteorologist Marty McKewon of WeatherData Inc., which provides forecasts for The Times.

“There could be some hail; there’s going to be showers with temperatures in the low to mid 50s,” McKewon said. “When it’s raining, it’s not going to feel good at all.”

Were it not for the fact that the parched Southern California landscape needs the rain, the meteorologist said, it would be downright gloomy.

Although the high temperature for Orange County is usually 70 degrees at this time of year, the high Thursday reached only 64. The morning low of 43 degrees was 3 degrees lower than normal.

McKewon said the high temperatures are expected to be about 15 degrees below normal today, rising to the mid-60s on Saturday, then dropping on Sunday when another storm system is expected. Sunday’s high is expected to reach only 60 degrees, he said.

“We are looking at three to five days of below normal temperatures,” McKewon said, predicting that the cooler weather could continue through Monday. “But right now, we are not looking at anything record-breaking, or a freeze, or damage to crops, or anything like that.”

As unusual as the cooler temperatures felt Thursday, McKewon said they did not approach the record lows or highs for that date. He said the all-time low temperature for that date was recorded in 1950 with 31 degrees, and a record high of 88 degrees was registered one year later.