Thunderstorms, Showers Possible in Southland as Moist Air Moves In

An occasional thunderstorm and showers may add variety to Southern California’s weather picture during the next few days as the remnants of tropical storm Hilda move northwest from the Baja California coast.

The increased humidity and periodic storms, generally in the mountains, are typical of a summer monsoon pattern, said Steve Burback, a meteorologist with WeatherData Inc., which provides weather forecasts to The Times.

“Actually, this is quite normal” for Southern California in August, he said, particularly in the mountains and over some areas of the desert.

No rain fell in Orange County, but trace amounts fell in the Los Angeles Basin overnight Saturday and the National Weather Service issued flash-flood warnings for Sunday evening in the mountain areas of San Diego and Imperial counties.

The moist air pattern should continue through Tuesday before beginning to clear.

What Southern Californians traditionally think of as normal summer weather--including at least a week or so of 100-degree-plus heat--is nowhere in sight.

“The days are pretty much numbered for regular summer weather,” said Burback.

No 100-degree sieges are predicted for the next 30 days, he said, forecasting instead temperatures in the 70s along the coast and into the 90s inland.

None of the weather patterns in the next month or more are likely to provide a respite from the drought. Storms with that kind of punch are not due until later in the fall.

Sunday’s high temperatures in Orange County reached about 70 along the coast and the mid-80s inland, Burback said.

Clouds along county beaches prevailed during the day before clearing about 3:30 p.m., said Steve Chafe, a lifeguard supervisor at Seal Beach.

“It clears up for a couple of hours, and then the clouds would start to come in,” he said. Chafe added that ocean waves should be 4 feet if there is a storm.