Christmas Storm Leaves Up to an Inch of Rainfall in O.C.

Skiers got their wish for a white one, but everyone else was stuck with a wet Christmas as a slow-moving storm dropped just over an inch of rain on Southern California on Sunday.

Thunder, lightning and scattered power outages hit the area, along with a small funnel cloud off Santa Catalina Island.

Rainfall in Orange County ranged from 1.09 of an inch in Lake Forest to .04 of an inch in Anaheim. San Juan Capistrano reported .91 of an inch; Santa Ana, .53 of an inch; and .42 of an inch fell in Newport Beach.

Sunday temperatures in the county ranged from 63 in San Juan Capistrano and 57 in Lake Forest to lows in the upper 40s to 50 elsewhere.

The rain should be gone for a while, according to Curtis Brack, a meteorologist with WeatherData Inc., which provides forecasts to The Times.

There is only a slight chance of that the showers Wednesday.

Today, WeatherData says it will be partly cloudy in Orange County and a bit warmer, with highs in the upper 50s and 60s. The skies should clear by tonight and into Tuesday.

The overnight precipitation on Christmas meant that tire chains were needed above 4,000 feet in the mountains. Ski resorts reported eight to 10 inches of fresh snow.

Several accidents were reported on rain-slicked freeways over the weekend, including a 10-car accident on the San Bernardino Freeway near Alhambra on Saturday night and a six-vehicle fender-bender on the Riverside Freeway in Yorba Linda on Sunday, according to the California Highway Patrol.

A flash-flood warning was issued for western Los Angeles County after more than an inch of rain fell in some regions. Residents of Malibu and other areas denuded by wildfires were urged to watch for mudslides, but county fire officials reported no problems.