Countywide : Better Keep the Slickers at the Ready

Scattered showers and possible thunderstorms are expected to move into the county by this morning, dropping half an inch to an inch of rain on the county.

But the storm will probably not be as vicious as the one in February that caused deaths throughout the Southland, said meteorologist Rick Dittman of WeatherData Inc., which provides forecasts for The Times.

“It will be a kind of quick, non-lasting thing,” he said.

A low-pressure system 300 miles off the coast moved inland Friday and will probably hit the coastal mountain ranges, Dittman said, giving the system the added lift needed for showers to begin.

On Friday morning, rain-slicked roads from a storm the previous night were blamed for a 10-car collision on Valley View Street in Cypress, south of Katella Avenue. At 7:27 a.m., northbound drivers tried to slow or stop but instead struck vehicles ahead.

Five of the 10 drivers involved were taken to Los Alamitos Medical Center, complaining of neck, back or shoulder pain, police said. All were later released. Other motorists were asked to avoid using Valley View Street for about an hour.

Light rain was reported Friday in the county, with Corona del Mar getting the most, 0.98 of an inch. The storm raised the county’s seasonal total to 11.15 inches in Santa Ana, well above the average of 9.78 inches.

The weather should clear up by this afternoon, Dittman said.

But the National Weather Service predicted a 40% chance of rain in the afternoon, with clearing by Sunday.

O.C. Storm Totals In inches, from Friday morning’s storm:

City Inches Anaheim 0.63 Brea 0.51 Corona del Mar 0.98 Costa Mesa 0.51 Cypress 0.31 Fullerton 0.55 Garden Grove 0.51 Huntington Beach 0.39 Irvine 0.59 Laguna Beach 0.39 Lake Forest 0.20 Mission Viejo 0.16 Modjeska Canyon 0.24 Newport Beach 0.71 Santa Ana 0.55 San Juan Capistrano 0.24 Santiago Peak 0.67 Villa Park 0.24 Westminster 0.43 Yorba Linda 0.39

Year-to-Date Rain Santa Ana readings, as of 4:30 p.m. Friday, for rain season beginning last July 1:

Inches Average 9.78 This year 11.15 Last year 6.80

Source: Orange County Environmental Management Agency; WeatherData