Sunny Skies, Surfing Waves Expected for a Few Days

Here comes the sun, at least temporarily, and another run of sizable surf.

After an overcast morning that could bring a sprinkling of showers, the skies are expected to clear late today, weather forecasters predicted Monday. But don’t expect a return to the spring-like weather and 90-degree temperatures the county enjoyed last week, they said.

“I think we will see some sunshine,” said Robb Kaczmarek a meteorologist with WeatherData, which provides forecasts for The Times. “It may not be crystal-clear blue skies, but we should see the sun. It should gradually clear as we move into the afternoon.”

The tropical storm that swept north from Baja California on Sunday and Monday, bringing brisk, swirling winds and showers to Orange County, is expected to linger through mid-morning today before moving on, Kaczmarek said.

Police reported a few minor traffic accidents, but the surprise occurred in Huntington Beach, where a funnel cloud touched down in the 200 and 300 blocks of Chicago Street, breaking a few windows, knocking out power and alarming residents who happened to be home, Huntington Beach Police Lt. Gary Brooks said.

“Nobody got hurt, but it was kind of strange,” Brooks said of the 1:45 p.m. funnel cloud. “It just touched down and startled a few folks and then took off.”

Jane Terrell, 28, who lives on that stretch, said she came home to notice there had been a power outage, but no other damage. Only a window screen in a garbage can hinted at the afternoon twister, she said.

Another resident said his house was fine, but a neighbor who was home at the time had told him “the wind was blowing so hard that she thought her windows were going to blow out.”

One bonus from the tropical moisture are the unseasonably mild temperatures, with highs today expected in the upper 60s, nearing 70 degrees, Kaczmarek said.

The high temperature in the county Monday was 76 degrees, which was reported at Santa Ana and Anaheim, with Lake Forest at 73 degrees and San Juan Capistrano at 66.

Overnight lows should not drop below 50 degrees, Kaczmarek said.

But enjoy what little sunshine there is, because it is not expected to last. The dark clouds should move back into the county Wednesday and Thursday, along with temperatures in the mid-60s.

Even more light rain from another tropical storm could arrive by late Thursday and Friday, Kaczmarek said.

“There’ll be lots of clouds around,” Kaczmarek said. “It should be a fairly weak tropical storm, not a real heavy event, but just episodes of light showers.”

The light sprinkles from Monday’s storm brought the season’s rainfall totals to 4.01 inches, which is getting closer to the 7.87 inches that is normal for this time of year, but still a far cry from last year’s 15.45 inches, Kaczmarek said.

For surfers, a 3- to 5-foot swell from the west is expected to hit county beaches this morning, with waves peaking at 7 feet at the best spots including Huntington Beach and the Huntington Cliffs, said Sean Collins, wave forecaster for Surfline/Wavetrak.

“It won’t be quite as big as last week, but it still should be pretty fun,” Collins said.

However, the winds from the storms could make the surfing conditions “unstable,” Collins said.