Precipitation pelts the area
GLENDALE — Just a week after temperatures raced toward triple digits, Glendale bundled up Friday in the face of plummeting temperatures and a light rainfall that spread drizzle across the region.
The drastic change in temperatures — from May 17, when the National Weather Service recorded a high of 98 degrees in Glendale to Friday, when 64 degrees was the highest point in the mercury — is a result of an unusual weather pattern that originated in the Great Basin region near Wyoming, weather specialist Stuart Seto said.
“Then, the center of that low pressure area moved into Nevada and now it’s spreading more into California,” he said. “Normally it moves to the east, but instead it moved west. It’s unusual for this time of year, but it does happen some time.”
The low pressure system was aided west by moisture in the atmosphere that pulled clouds over Southern California and dumped about an inch of rain in the Foothill region and a quarter of an inch in Glendale and the surrounding San Fernando Valley region, Seto said.
On Thursday, the weather service reported that pea-sized balls of hail peppered Glendale and bigger balls of ice fell on the City of Industry. Despite the hail and change in temperatures, Glendale Police and Firefighters reported no accidents in the area as a direct result of inclement weather, officials said.
The hail relented Friday when, along Brand Boulevard, jackets covered t-shirts and umbrellas shielded walkers from patchy rain that dotted the sidewalk and street.
“It’s only been one day, it’s not too bad,” said Andres Hernandez, 26, beneath a green umbrella. “But I prefer warmer weather.”
Others, like Los Angeles resident Clarence Quan, did not mind the dip in temperatures, reflecting on the transformation as a break from monotony.
“I like change, especially with the weather,” said Quan, as he zipped up a jacket. “All things considered, though, I like it a little warmer.”
Warmer temperatures, along with sunny skies, are on the horizon as the low pressure system is expected to move north toward Oregon, Seto said.
“We’re looking for an improvement starting Sunday,” he said. “We’ll still have some clouds around, but we’ll start to see some warming. Temperatures will jump back into the lower 70s Sunday and by Wednesday, we should see temperatures in the lower 80s.”
The cool temperatures had an effect at the Americana at Brand Friday as stores reported a dip in customers they said could have been from rain and some visitors looked longingly at the grass and benches beneath gray skies.
“I would have enjoyed a bit more if it wasn’t drizzling,” said Martha Lang. “Now I guess I have to come back.”
JASON WELLS covers City Hall. He may be reached at (818) 637-3235 or by e-mail at jason.wells@latimes.com.