More Storm Clouds on the Horizon

Heavy rain expected over Orange County today will give way to mostly cloudy skies Monday, but another storm is expected to sweep across Southern California by midweek.

Forecasters predicted as much as two inches of rain for the coastal areas between Saturday night and tonight, with three inches of rain forecast for the mountains. Occasional gusty winds of up to 20 m.p.h. are also expected across the county today.

“We expect the heavy rain to begin by Sunday morning. By Sunday night we’re predicting up to two inches for the coastal areas and three inches in the mountains,” said Curtis Brack, meteorologist for WeatherData Inc., which does forecasts for The Times.

Rain began falling Saturday night in Orange County. Although Brack said that no flash-flood warnings had been posted for the county, nervous authorities in Laguna Beach have city workers on standby today in case they are needed for sandbagging and keeping storm drains open. The city suffered severe flooding during January’s storms.

The rain is from the second Pacific storm to hit California since Friday. A third is expected Wednesday, Brack said. Monday and Tuesday will be mostly cloudy with occasional sprinkles, he added.

The most recent storms have pushed Orange County’s seasonal rainfall totals to more than seven inches above normal. As of Friday, the county had received 16.74 inches of rain. Normal for that date is 9.39 inches, Brack said.

Temperatures are expected to remain in the upper 50s at night and reach the upper 60s in the day.