‘92 to Bid Adieu in Soggy Days of Rain and Snow

The first of two year-end storms poured almost half an inch of rain on most of Orange County by Monday morning, and forecasters said the second half should bring heavy rain and snow throughout Southern California today.

More precipitation is predicted for later in the week, but forecasters said the rain should stop before Friday morning, with partly cloudy skies and cool temperatures expected for the New Year’s Day Tournament of Roses Parade.

Rick Dittmann, a meteorologist with WeatherData Inc., which provides forecasts for The Times, predicted today’s rainfall totals will hit half an inch throughout most of Orange County.

“There will be showers on and off through Wednesday, with things starting to dry out on Thursday,” Dittmann said. “Right now, the Rose Parade looks pretty safe.”

Highs today in Orange County are expected to be in the upper 50s to low 60s, with overnight lows in the upper 30s to mid-40s. Rain and snowfall were heavy in the northern part of the state on Monday.

The weather is the product of two distinct but interrelated storm systems, Dittmann said.

The first storm--a vast system of subtropical air from the central Pacific--swept in during the weekend. The second--a smaller but more intense cold front from the Gulf of Alaska--headed south through the state on Monday, drawing up moisture from the first system as the two merged over Southern California’s northern mountains on Monday night.

“There’s a complex interaction between the two,” Dittmann said. “That makes it hard to say how much precipitation will fall and exactly when.”

Precipitation from the first storm began falling here Sunday afternoon. By nightfall Sunday, roads and freeways in Southern California were dangerously slippery, tangling traffic for motorists headed home after the three-day holiday weekend.

The main force of the first storm had moved to the east by noon Monday, but the more powerful and blustery second storm already was pummeling the northern half of the state and heading south.

Officials said the Sierra snowpack, which provides most of the water used by urban Californians, apparently was up to normal depths for the date although accurate measurements could not be made until the storm had passed.

It was the first time the snowpack has been at or above normal this late in the year since the state’s prolonged drought began in 1987.

“It’s looking much better,” Dee Davis, a spokesman for the state’s Drought Information Center, said Monday afternoon. “It’s been a long time since we’ve seen a storm like this. If it continues the way the computer models show, we could get even heavier snow toward the end of the week.”

In Orange County, a total of 0.58 of an inch of rain had fallen at El Toro by Monday morning. Other daily rainfall totals included 0.39 in Newport Beach; 0.52 in San Juan Capistrano; and 0.49 in Anaheim.

Monday’s high temperature in Santa Ana was 63 degrees, following an overnight low of 48. Relative humidity during the day ranged from a high of 99% to a low of 77%.

Times staff writer Len Hall contributed to this story.

Rainfall Tally

Sunday’s storm brought local rainfall levels to well above average for this date. The 3.91-inch total for Santa Ana is 71% higher than last year’s 2.29 total to date.

Storm 1992 Average total total to date Anaheim .49 N/A N/A (4 p.m. Sunday to 4 p.m. Monday) Costa Mesa .40 4.29 3.60 (8 a.m. Sunday to 8 a.m. Monday) El Toro .58 N/A N/A (4 p.m. Sunday to 4 p.m. Monday) Newport Beach .39 N/A N/A (4 p.m. Sunday to 4 p.m. Monday) San Juan Capistrano .52 N/A N/A (4 p.m. Sunday to 4 p.m. Monday) Santa Ana .50 3.91 3.39 (8 a.m. Sunday to 8 a.m. Monday) Santiago Peak 1.06 12.84 9.17 (8 a.m. Sunday to 8 a.m. Monday) Villa Park .67 5.44 4.51 (8 a.m. Sunday to 8 a.m. Monday)

Forecast

A cold front moving through Southern California will bring periods of rain today with showers and possible thunderstorms in the evening. Rain is expected to continue through Wednesday, but will move out by Thursday. The rest of the week, including New Year’s Day, will be partly cloudy and windy.

Sources: Orange County Environmental Management Agency, WeatherData Inc.;

Researched by JANICE L. JONES / Los Angeles Times