Stand by for storms

Andrew Edwards

The long weekend might be a good time to dust off some board games or

rent a few classic films, as meteorologists are predicting yet more

rain lasting into early next week.

“It looks pretty wet, especially at the beginning of next week,”

National Weather Service forecaster Steven Vanderburg said.

Scattered showers are expected to fall over Orange County today,

though forecaster’s don’t know exactly where, Vanderburg said. A

respite from the wet weather is possible on Sunday, “but then comes

Presidents Day, and we’ve got another storm coming in.”

The three days of rain that are expected to begin Monday could be

a “washout,” Vanderburg said. Two to four inches of rain are likely

to soak the Orange County coast.

In anticipation of the coming rain, the U.S. Geological Survey on

Monday released a map identifying areas of possible mudslide danger,

which include the hills near Newport Coast and Crystal Cove.

However, geologist Ed Harp said the map, which has a broad scale,

is not a warning of imminent danger. The map can be viewed by going

online to https://landslides.usgs.gov and following links identified

as leading to California landslide information. Harp said people

living in those and other high-risk areas should not fear for their

homes, but should be careful if the rain becomes a heavy downpour.

“If you’re in an area, where you’re on a fairly steep slope, and

it’s raining lightly or a lot more than average, it’s probably not a

cause for concern,” Harp said.

According to the Geological Survey, landslides are only likely

outside of mountainous areas if more than two inches of rain fall in

six hours, which is more than the National Weather Service has

predicted.

Costa Mesa and Newport Beach officials do not expect significant

hardships to accompany the coming rain.

“It’s just nuisance rain,” Newport Beach general services director

Dave Niederhaus said. “Even the forecast rain for the next few days,

I see no problems.”

Niederhaus’ counterpart in Costa Mesa, public services director

Bill Morris, had a similar outlook.

“Everything seems to be in good shape,” Morris said. “The latest

storm is generating a few potholes, but other than that, there are no

areas in the city to watch out for.”

Construction on 19th Street and Placentia and Anaheim avenues

could create water backup, but Morris said that would not pose

significant troubles.

Orange County has witnessed some “very Seattle-ish” weather in

recent months, Vanderburg said, and local rainfall totals are

outpacing those of the Emerald City. The National Weather Service

tracks rainfall in years that begin on July 1, and since last July,

17.98 inches of rain have fallen on the area near John Wayne Airport.

During the same period, only 15.70 inches of rain have fallen on

Seattle.

* ANDREW EDWARDS covers business and the environment.

He can be reached at (714)

966-4624 or by e-mail at andrew.edwards

@latimes.com.