Thanksgiving brings more rain and chill
A chilly storm that was expected to unleash heavy rain and blustery winds did just that in some parts of Southern California and around the state on Wednesday but spared coastal Orange County its most serious effects, though it did make for a damp day for drivers, travelers and shoppers.
But don’t put the umbrellas and raincoats away just yet, according to Andrew Rorke, a senior forecaster with the National Weather Service.
“The real impacts will be [Thursday],” he said.
A second wave of the storm is expected to bring more rain for Thanksgiving, with 1 to 2 inches in coastal areas, Rorke said.
The forecast calls for showers and a slight chance of thunderstorms throughout the day Thursday, with winds from 15 to 25 mph in the morning and again late at night.
Friday’s forecast is for showers and a slight chance of thunderstorms in the morning, then partly cloudy with a chance of showers in the afternoon. The rain is expected to clear out Friday night, with partly cloudy skies through the weekend.
Cold air from the storm, which originated in the Gulf of Alaska, is dropping daytime temperatures into the mid- to upper 50s through Friday, about 15 degrees below normal for this time of year in Southern California.
Orange County rainfall totals for the 12-hour period ending at 1 p.m. Wednesday showed Corona del Mar with 0.44 inch and Costa Mesa with 0.40, according to the National Weather Service. John Wayne Airport recorded 0.36 inch, while Laguna Canyon had 0.27 and Huntington Beach 0.15.
The two local homeless shelters in Laguna Beach and Costa Mesa were ready for the rain Wednesday.
This is the first year that Laguna’s Alternative Sleeping Location on Laguna Canyon Road has had its new daytime program up and running during the fall. Between 10 a.m. and 1 p.m., the program, operated by Friendship Shelter, offers homeless people an opportunity to eat a meal, do laundry, send mail, use a computer and get access to social services.
“When it’s weather like this, in my mind there is work on two levels,” said Dawn Price, executive director of Friendship Shelter. “One is always how much short-term shelter can we provide people to keep them safe and comfortable during a weather event. But long term , the more housing we can create, the less need we have for these emergency measures.”
The indoor tables at the ASL were full on Wednesday afternoon as people ate lunch. Rob Caltabiano, who was outdoors volunteering as a parking attendant, said there are usually about 140 people next door at Friendship Shelter’s food pantry on weekdays, with only 15 parking spaces.
Caltabiano, who until recently was homeless, had spent the holidays at the Laguna shelter the past three years. He applied for ASL’s enrollment program, which allows people to stay overnight for 30 days while they search for housing. Monday will mark Caltabiano’s second week of permanent housing in Lake Forest.
“They’ve helped me on many nights, and I’m willing to give back,” he said.
In Costa Mesa, the reservation-based shelter at Lighthouse Church of the Nazarene on Anaheim Avenue is at full capacity during the Thanksgiving period. The location, operated by Mercy House Living Centers, is meant as an interim space for homeless people while the city works to establish a permanent shelter at 3175 Airway Ave., near John Wayne Airport.
“The holidays can obviously be a time of melancholy for people who are estranged from their family,” said Larry Haynes, executive director of Mercy House. “The greatest thing we can get somebody over the holiday is a place of their own.”
The Los Angeles Times contributed to this report.
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