Rain, rain, going away

Deepa Bharath

NEWPORT-MESA -- Rain pounded streets here Thursday morning, a few

hours earlier than predicted by forecasters.

The tail of a winter storm crossing Northern California hit locally

about 7 a.m. Thursday, said Ivory Small, meteorologist for the National

Weather Service in San Diego.

The Newport-Mesa area received a small amount of rainfall, topping off

at about a quarter-inch Thursday afternoon as the showers began to

subside.

Average rain for the area during the rainy season is 1.90 inches,

though this year has produced less than half that amount, Small said.

“But we will definitely catch up to that in a few days with a lot of

other winter storms coming our way,” he said.

Local public safety officials, including police, fire and harbor

patrol, said it was a quiet morning free of incidents or accidents

despite the rain.

The storm quieted down by the end of the day Wednesday, but another

following close on its heels is expected to hit the area Sunday night or

Monday morning. Overcast conditions are forecasted for the next couple of

days.

Winds were mild at about 14 mph inland, but gusts of 40 to 50 mph were

recorded in the upper deserts and mountains, Small said.

Several people are wondering if it is going to be another El Nino

winter this year, he said.

“That’s because the water temperatures are warmer by a degree or two,”

Small said. “But we expect it’ll come back to normal [Wednesday] or

Thursday.”

Such conditions usually constitute “a mild El Nino year,” Small said.

“All it means is there is a 50-50 chance of more or less storms as

opposed to more chance of rain that comes with a strong El Nino year.”

* Deepa Bharath covers public safety and courts. She may be reached at

(949) 574-4226 or by e-mail at o7 deepa.bharath@latimes.comf7 .