It Will Be Cold to the North, but Mild Here

Though there is some snow predicted for Northern California’s mountain areas and high winds in the desert to the south, Orange County’s weather this weekend will be no worse than it has been for the past few days and it might even be a bit better, forecasters said Thursday.

A cold Pacific storm began moving into Northern California Thursday night, bringing high winds and snow to the Lake Tahoe Basin, the High Sierras and the Mount Shasta area. National Weather Service officials warned travelers to prepare for winter weather, to carry chains in their cars, and to avoid trouble by keeping up to date on weather and highway conditions.

By late today, there could be snow as low as the floors of mountain valleys in the northern and central parts of the state, officials said. Forecasters warned farmers and ranchers to protect young animals from extremely low temperatures.

The storm is bringing widespread rain to the northern coast of California, and it is also moving into southeast Nevada.

Gusty Winds in Mojave Area

Winds of more than 50 m.p.h. swept through the Mojave area of the Kern County desert region Thursday, gusting in some places to 70 m.p.h. The National Weather Service office in Bakersfield issued a high-wind warning and told motorists to drive carefully, especially if they are traveling in campers, high vans and trucks.

It was also windy in the northern and southern deserts Thursday. The strongest winds there were 35 m.p.h. or less.

Showers are lingering in Southern California, but skies will remain clear to partly cloudy in Orange County today and Saturday.

Santa Ana recorded the county’s highest temperature with a 68-degree reading after an overnight low of 53. At the beaches, the high was 65.

The maximum temperature today and Saturday in the county will be in the middle to upper 60s, with lows in the mid-50s. Along the coast, high temperatures are expected to be in the 60s, but lows may register in the middle 40s. It will be much the same in the San Fernando, San Gabriel and San Bernardino valleys.

For surfers, waves will be two to four feet high from Zuma Beach to San Diego County, coming in steadily at 12-second intervals.