Weather Forecasts

Moderate rain by afternoon and continuing heavy surf are expected today in Orange County. No damage was reported Sunday from high tides and heavy surf, as hard-hit residents in communities that suffered nature's fury Friday enjoyed a second day of respite. "The swell is enormous today, but we don't have the very high tide, so we are OK," said Tony Louch, who manages Capistrano Shores, a seaside community of 90 homes in San Clemente that saw 32 homes damaged Friday.

Another storm from the Gulf of Alaska will bring a taste of winter to the Southland today, with variable rainfall across the Los Angeles Basin and snow as low as 2,500 feet in the mountains, the National Weather Service said Thursday. "Due to very cold air aloft, thunderstorms could produce some small hail," the weather service said. "The cold air mass should help destabilize the atmosphere somewhat, and there could be some waterspouts and cold air funnels."

As a wet weekend loomed, Orange County got an early drenching Thursday that created a freeway nightmare and raised anxieties about coastal flooding. Blue skies dotted with white clouds are expected today, but forecasters say more showers will arrive early Saturday afternoon, followed by larger, more sustained rains Monday and Tuesday. Emergency crews will be keeping a close watch for high surf and flooding in some vulnerable coastal areas.

A strengthening Pacific storm is expected to bring the first significant rainfall of the season to Southern California this weekend. Forecasters said it will be partly cloudy this morning before the cool, blustery storm begins moving onshore this afternoon. Light sprinkles should start falling in San Luis Obispo County before sunset.

Foreshadowed by gloomy skies Friday, an early winter storm was expected to move into Orange County overnight, bringing with it wind-driven thunderstorms, heavy surf and cooler temperatures. Police, firefighters and other public safety agencies monitored bulletins late Friday for weather that could affect roads. Rain was expected to begin by early morning, become heavy at times through today and taper off late tonight.

Mostly sunny skies and seasonably warm weather are expected today and Tuesday, but a slight cooling trend will take effect by midweek, forecasters said. Following two days of highs in the upper 80s to mid-90s, afternoon temperatures are expected to drop to the mid-80s on Wednesday and Thursday, said Jeff House of WeatherData Inc., which provides forecast information to The Times.

The recent spate of unseasonably cloudy, cool and wet conditions in the San Fernando Valley will give way to warmer, clearer days this week, forecasters say. "We're looking at a return to normal-type temperatures," said Gary Ryan, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Oxnard. Ryan predicted mostly sunny skies with high temperatures in the mid-80s to low 90s and lows in the upper 50s to low 60s throughout the week. Those numbers match the normals for this time of year, he said.

The San Fernando Valley will be cooler than normal and frequently overcast this week due to the southern movement of the jet stream. "We're going to have a deepening of the marine layer for the next few days," said John Henderson, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Oxnard. The marine layer is a mass of moisture-laden coastal air that accounts for much of the low clouds and fog typical in the mornings this time of year.

The gloomy gray threatened rain Monday but delivered only scattered showers in Orange County, which can expect clearing skies later today giving way to sun and warmer temperatures, according to weather forecasters. Most areas in Orange County reported no rain Monday, one of the few exceptions being Anaheim, which had collected a mere .13 inches, said meteorologist Curtis Brack of WeatherData Inc., which provides weather forecasts to The Times.

Blue sky is expected to break through the cloud cover this afternoon after Wednesday's heavy rainstorm caused a string of car crashes and collapsed a sodden ceiling in a Costa Mesa pie factory. A stream of fender-benders and solo-vehicle spin-outs caused mostly minor injuries throughout the day, and flooding closed the slow lane of the northbound San Diego Freeway at Seal Beach Boulevard for several hours.