Inch of Rain Is on the Way, Forecasters Say : Weather: The storm that is picking up warm moisture from the tropics isn’t expected to bring the Arctic cold and winds that hit last month.

A strong storm front moving in from the Pacific Ocean will bring much-needed moisture to Orange County today, with up to an inch or more of rain expected by tonight, meteorologists predicted Wednesday.

Even better, the expansive storm--picking up warm moisture from the tropics--isn’t expected to have all the nasty side effects that hit the area late last month with an Arctic cold front: freezing temperatures, hail and high winds.

This time, it should be just pure wet stuff, maybe lots of it, meteorologists say.

“Just let it come--we’re ready,” said an expectant Alan Reynolds, orchard manager at Treasure Farms in Irvine.

In the midst of a four-year drought, the Southland has only had 0.21 inches of rain this rainy season, which began July 1, according to the National Weather Service. That’s less than a fifth of the total through the same date last year and 1/20th the average.

Orange County was hit less severely by last month’s cold spell than other parts of the region, suffering damage to an estimated 10% of its Valencia oranges. Still, with water shortages intensifying and rationing spreading, the county’s agriculture may not be able to hold out for long without a prolonged wet spell, Reynolds suggested.

“We’re real happy to see any rain at all coming our way, and this is hopefully going to be the start of a rainy trend,” said Reynolds, who is a a director of the Orange County Farm Bureau, a private trade association.

The California Highway Patrol may be less enthusiastic about the predicted storm, but Officer Liza Waggoner, Santa Ana office spokeswoman, said no special advisories or precautions are planned.

When the rains come, she said, the Highway Patrol will likely call in more patrol units to respond to accidents on the slick roads and will get out the wet-gear equipment, something officers have not had to do very often lately.

The storm is expected to hit the Southland coast at midday today, or perhaps tonight. The National Weather Service put the chances of rain for this area at 30%, while WeatherData Inc., a Kansas firm that provides forecasts for the Times, estimated a 70 to 80% chance.

“The possibility is there for a pretty good one--maybe a couple of inches along the coast,” said National Weather Service meteorologist Bill Hoffer in Los Angeles. “We definitely need it, no doubt about that.”

Scattered showers were reported late Wednesday night around Orange County.