More storms, rain on the way

Elia Powers

The new year has been a wet one so far, and Orange County likely

isn’t out of the water yet.

While much of the region got a brief reprieve from the soggy

conditions on Tuesday, forecasters predict the rain will return.

A new storm system will likely hit the area on Thursday evening

and last well into Friday, said Stan Wasowski, a forecaster with the

National Weather Service.

He doesn’t expect a prolonged period of clear skies until the

middle of this month.

The most recent storm, which came from the northwest part of the

U.S., brought 4 to 5 inches of rain to the region in the past week,

Wasowski said. He said Los Angeles County received even more

precipitation than Orange County.

“It’s what we expect this time of season,” he said.

It’s been an unusually wet fall and winter for Orange County,

having received 11.09 inches of rain since July 1 -- more than 7 inches above normal.

Minor power outages were reported early Tuesday, Newport Beach

Police Lt. Tom Gazsi said, adding that over the wet season, slightly

heavier-than-average traffic and an increase in minor collisions on

the roads have been reported.

On Dec. 28, Costa Mesa Police Lt. Dave Andersen said the station

was barraged with reports of fallen trees and busted power lines.

Andersen said he hadn’t heard of any weather-related deaths. He

said he wasn’t surprised by the volume of calls the department has

received.

“It’s a different weather cycle than we’re used to,” Andersen

said.

* ELIA POWERS is the enterprise and general assignment reporter.

He may be reached at (714) 966-4625 or by e-mail at

elii.powers@latimes.com.