Rare August Showers Could Fall on Southland Today

Believe it or not, Southern California may receive some rare August rain today, courtesy of Tropical Storm Frank, which is lingering off the coast of Baja California.

Meteorologists at WeatherData Inc., which provides forecasts for The Times, predict a 20% chance of isolated thunderstorms today and Monday.

Tropical Storm Frank, which was centered in the Pacific Ocean just west of Cabo San Lazaro on Saturday, will continue to move north today before dying out by Monday.

“Some of the moisture in the middle levels of the atmosphere from 10,000 to 20,000 feet is going to help fuel these thunderstorms, and they could move off into the basin,” said meteorologist Chad Omitt.

Southern Californians saw traces of the tropical storm Saturday in the cumulonimbus clouds that lingered over regions north of the San Gabriel Mountains.

Over the past half-century, Los Angeles has averaged just 0.09 inches of rain in August, which is the third-driest month of the year. June and July are the driest.

If rain doesn’t fall, Southern Californians should experience a typical August day, with partly cloudy skies and high temperatures in the upper 80s and lower 90s in coastal areas, while inland valleys reach 100 or higher.

On Saturday, the only reported rain in Southern California was at Palomar station in San Diego County, where 0.04 inches fell.