Chilly Relations With Hilda Soon Out of Our System

Tropical Storm Hilda is one stubborn goat. She answers to no one, least of all the forecasters who predicted that she would be a memory now.

But her effects--drizzle and low clouds--now aren’t expected to disappear until late this morning.

Tropical Storm Hilda, which was reduced to a tropical depression, still lingers parallel to the coast, said Steve Burback, meteorologist for WeatherData, Inc., which tracks forecasts for The Times. Because of the storm’s low-pressure system, residents in Cypress, Costa Mesa, Seal Beach and San Juan Capistrano awoke Wednesday morning to light rain.

The pressure is expected to move northward and take the humidity with it, to the delight of most but much to the dismay of firefighters.

“Most people think of (the rain) as rather dreary,� said Orange County Fire Capt. Dan Young. “But, in the middle of a fire season, it’s excellent.�

By midday Wednesday, the clouds had cleared away and beach-goers basked under sunny blue skies. But the temperatures throughout the county remained in the high 60s in the beach cities and low 80s inland, which is unseasonably cool for this time of the year, Burback noted.

This morning’s light drizzle should dissipate by noon, Burback said, and the sunshine and comfortable temperatures are expected to remain through the weekend.

Today’s temperatures are predicted to be in the high 60s for coastal areas and low 80s inland. The weekend temperatures are predicted to be slightly warmer. Temperatures are expected to be in the low to mid 70s along the coast, and in the mid 80s inland.