Mild Weather Expected Over Next Few Days

Orange County can look forward to warming temperatures and clear skies until at least Wednesday, forecasters say.

Weekend rain brought the season’s total to more than twice the normal level for this time of the year, said meteorologist Steve Burback of WeatherData Inc., which provides forecasts for The Times.

However, the most recent storm apparently caused no appreciable damage to the county’s already rain-soaked hillsides. In Laguna Beach, San Clemente and Anaheim Hills, where winter storms destroyed or damaged numerous homes, city and fire officials said the weekend rain caused no new problems. They will make further assessments this week, officials said Sunday.

For the 24-hour period ending at 4 p.m. Sunday, there had been .53 inches of rain in San Juan Capistrano, the wettest spot in the county, Burback said. Santa Ana had .49 inches, while Lake Forest had .41 inches, Newport Beach .27 inches and Anaheim .37 inches.

Temperatures on Sunday were in the upper 50s to low 60s. Dana Point had the high mark in the county at 63 degrees.

Sunday’s rain brought the season total to 22.67 inches in Santa Ana, compared to the normal average of 11.11 inches for the season, which begins July 1, Burback said.

“It’s not a record, but it’s in the top five . . . in the last 40 years,” he added.

The forecast calls for dry weather in the next few days, as clouds head east away from the coastal area, Burback said.

Today, Orange County should see temperatures in the 60s and breezy winds, blowing from the west, as the low-pressure system moves into the Rocky Mountains, he said.

More rain may come Wednesday night or Thursday, however, as another storm system--now well out over the Pacific Ocean--moves ashore, Burback said.