Batten the Hatches: Big Storm Due

By MEG JAMES

Feb. 12, 2000 12 AM PT

TIMES STAFF WRITER

Orange County is in for a soggy and shivery Saturday with an inch or more of rain expected, a chance of flooding in the foothills and a dusting of snow on mountaintops.

“I doubt that this storm will create severe landslides like [Southern California] had two winters ago,” said Amy Talmage, a meteorologist for WeatherData Inc., which provides forecasts for The Times. “But it will be a lot of rain for one day.”

Today’s showers--which could be heavy at times--should taper off late this afternoon and evening, Talmage said. She predicted up to 2 inches of rain in the coastal communities, with 2 to 4 inches drenching the foothills.

Wind gusts of up to 25 mph are expected.

The National Weather Service, which issued a winter storm warning and a foothill flood watch through midafternoon today, expected slightly less rain--or about three-quarters of an inch throughout much of Orange County, said Frank O’Leary, a weather service forecaster.

The sloppy conditions shouldn’t stop more than 6,000 Boy Scouts--from Cub Scouts to Explorer Scouts--who are scheduled to pick up bags of food and clothing from thousands of doorsteps around Orange County, part of the organization’s annual drive to fight hunger.

“Rain or shine, we will be out,” said Devon Dougherty, spokesman for the Orange County Council of Boy Scouts. “This is a big effort, and too important to cancel. The rain may dampen the people, and volunteers, but it won’t dampen our spirits. Boy Scouts and everyone have been in a little rain before, so we expect that they will persevere.”

Blame the damp on a low-pressure system scraping south of the Bay Area, dragging a cold front in over Southern California. Santa Barbara County should take the brunt of the storm, while San Diego County escapes with only about a half-inch of drizzle, Talmage said.

Thursday’s rain, which was heaviest in South County, saturated top soil but did little to erase the drought. For Santa Ana, there has been nearly 1 1/2 inches of rain so far this season, compared to a typical season when about 8 inches has dropped by this time.

The week’s rain increased the chances of flooding today in the Santa Ana Mountains, said O’Leary, a forecaster for the National Weather Service in San Diego.

“The rain won’t sink into the soil, it will just run off--taking the path of least resistance,” O’Leary said.

Charred hillsides will also be susceptible to flash flooding.

“We are prepared to come in and open the storm center if necessary,” said Carol Graeber, maintenance systems manager for the county’s flood control division. “We didn’t have any problems after Thursday’s rain, but we have had crews out [Friday] clearing drains.”

Graeber and other county weather watchers appreciated the hopscotch nature of the rain--showering one day, then clearing the next. That gives crews time to do a little cleanup, Graeber said.

“If we can keep ahead of the storms as they come through, then we don’t seem to have any major problems,” Graeber said.

Sunday should begin in a fog that will lift, Talmage said, leaving partly cloudy skies and temperatures reaching the mid-60s. Some forecasts called for more showers on Sunday, and a chance of showers Monday and Tuesday.

Snow, perhaps 6 or more inches, was forecast for elevations above 5,500 feet in the ranges of San Bernardino, Riverside and San Diego counties.

Times staff writer Tom Reinken contributed to this report.