Rains Add a Drenching to L.A.’s ‘June Gloom’

The unusual winter-like storm that swept into Southern California early Wednesday brought record rainfall for the date and the third heaviest drenching ever recorded in Los Angeles in June, forecasters said.

“This is a weather pattern that’s more common for February than June,” said Guy Pearson, a meteorologist for WeatherData Inc., which provides forecasts for The Times. “This unstable weather system came down from the Gulf of Alaska, which is what we often see in winter. By June, these weather systems don’t usually get this far south.”

At the Civic Center, 0.58 of an inch of rain fell, breaking the previous record of 0.13 for the date set in 1948, according to the National Weather Service.

The wettest day ever recorded in the month was June 5, 1993, when 0.76 of an inch of rain fell. Records in Los Angeles date to 1877.

More bad weather is expected today but with less rain, Pearson said. Friday will be partly cloudy with lingering showers in the morning.

“That should be the end of the moisture,” Pearson said. “Saturday and Sunday should be mostly sunny, after some morning low clouds.”

During Wednesday’s morning commute, 141 accidents occurred, more than double the usual number, said California Highway Patrol Officer Frank Sandoval.

“We had a dry spell before this, so the rain loosened up all the oil and dirt, and things got slippery,” he said. “The problem is, people don’t adjust to the rain. They drive just as fast, which causes a lot of collisions.”

Wednesday’s rain might be an omen for the kind of weather Southern Californians can expect for the summer.

Scientists at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory said last week that the region’s seasonal “June gloom” weather may persist for the entire summer.

The marine layer that hovers over the Los Angeles Basin every June appears to be poised to linger throughout the summer due to a large area of abnormally cool water off the North American coast, according to scientists studying ocean measurements from the TOPEX/Poseidon satellite.

The unusual oceanic climatic conditions that precipitated the El Nino and La Nina weather patterns are not returning to a normal state, JPL scientists reported.