The trickle-down effect

Greg Risling

It wasn’t much, but it was better than nothing as a slow-moving storm

passed through Orange County on Tuesday, dropping less than half an inch

of rain.

Tuesday’s wet weather was just the third time in the last seven months

that Orange County has seen significant rainfall. Winter is winding down

and county totals are far lower than normal.

According to statistics provided by the National Weather Service, a

little more than an inch of rain has fallen at John Wayne Airport since

July. Meteorologists estimate many Southern California cities have

received only 15% of average rainfall amounts.

“If it was March and we were running the same level, I think that might

be cause for concern,” said Miguel Miller, a meteorologist for the

National Weather Service. “We’re not pushing the panic button just yet.”

Miller said forecasters have been looking at past years that had very

little rainfall in the first half of the rainy season. They noticed that

precipitation levels rebounded in the second half of the season, boosting

totals to near normal.

Tuesday’s storm scattered only about .32 of an inch at John Wayne

Airport.

Southland freeway traffic was snarled due to Southern Californians’

seeming inability to drive in bad weather. However, neither Newport Beach

or Costa Mesa police reported any serious traffic accidents.

“We saw a lot more accidents today, but there weren’t any major pileups,”

said CHP Officer Michelle DiMaggio. “There was traffic everywhere, but

most everything was minor fender benders.”

Air traffic was largely unaffected. However, a spokesperson from John

Wayne Airport said that three Continental Airlines flights scheduled to

fly into John Wayne were canceled Tuesday due to poor weather at New

York/Newark International Airport.

There is no downpour expected any time soon. Showers are expected to

taper off today, yielding to sunshine. Forecasters said a storm that

doused Northern California is headed our way Friday, but is weakening and

probably won’t produce the same results.

There are no surprises in next week’s forecast: partly cloudy skies with

temperatures in the high 60s to low 70s during the day.

“A little rain never hurts,” said Jack Ratto, who was watching his son

play in the puddles at Triangle Square on Tuesday. “We have some of the

best weather here. We can’t have sunny skies all the time.”