Umbrellas Are a Good Idea as 2 Storms Near

After a one-day holiday respite, Orange County is likely to see more rain today.

It won’t carry quite the punch of the thunderstorm that hit the area Sunday night, capping Valentine’s Day with a mixture of hail, rain, thunder and lightning.

But forecasters said Orange County should look for a 50% chance of showers this afternoon, increasing to 80% by nighttime, as the first of two Pacific storms arrives.

That storm is expected to hit the area with heavy rains until Wednesday, when forecasters expect a break in the downpour.

On Thursday, the second storm is expected to move in and drench the Southland for at least two days.

“It looks like a wet week for Orange County,” said Marty McKewon, a meteorologist for WeatherData Inc., which provides forecasts for The Times.

“It is going to be kind of an unsettled weather pattern for all of Southern California, including Orange County. There looks to be widespread rain over the southern half of the state.”

And more hail, McKewon said, is “not out of the question.”

The two storms are being fueled by tropical jet streams south of Hawaii.

Skies were partly sunny on Monday, but the National Weather Service reported sightings of some possible water spouts off the Orange County Coast, a potential problem for boaters. Harbor patrol stations in the county reported no problems, however.

More than 400 people in three different neighborhoods in Garden Grove were left without power for much of the day Monday because of lightning strikes and other weather problems the previous night. All power was restored by 4 p.m., said Brad Martin, a Southern California Edison area manager.

The weekend storm also caused power outages in other parts of the county, and marble-sized hail was reported in Mission Viejo, San Juan Capistrano and Huntington Beach.

But Orange County saw none of the flooding or mudslides wrought by last month’s heavy rains, and fire officials said the rain was not expected to increase sliding damage at any Anaheim Hills homes.

The National Weather Service issued a storm watch predicting high winds and nearly a foot of snow above 6,000 feet in the San Bernardino Mountains by Saturday.

Times staff writer John L. Mitchell contributed to this story.