Storm rattles region

Thunder, lightning roll through town Sunday but cause few problems on roads or at airport.A spectacular thunderstorm rocked and shocked Newport-Mesa late Sunday, lighting up the sky and pounding the area with bursts of heavy rain for nearly three hours.

The show of lightning and thunder was expected to make an encore appearance late Monday and early Tuesday, said Ivory Small, a forecaster with the National Weather Service.

The weather service issued a severe thunderstorm warning Monday after several strong storms developed over the Santa Ana mountains.

The first storm of the fall season dropped temperatures into the 60s and unleashed significant amounts of rain upon most of Orange and Los Angeles counties, dropping more than half an inch in places, Small said.

Orange County’s environmental health agency issued an advisory Monday, warning swimmers to stay clear of coastal waters for three days after the rainstorm. Urban runoff from rainfall leads to increases in bacteria levels in ocean waters.

The storm did not have a significant effect on flights at John Wayne Airport, said airport spokeswoman Jennie Wedge.

“The storm didn’t seem to have too negative an effect,� Wedge said. “Things seemed to run smooth for the most part.�

All scheduled flights were able to take off before the 10 p.m. curfew, she added.

Although no spike in weather-related traffic accidents was reported in Newport-Mesa, the California Highway Patrol said wet weather always spells trouble for motorists.

“Speed and wet weather do not mix,� said Officer Colleen Richardson, a Highway Patrol spokeswoman.

Drivers often fail to take the necessary precautions for rainy weather, such as checking tire tread and windshield wipers, Richardson said.

“People go way too fast in the rain. They think they can stop, and they can’t,� Richardson said.

Newport-Mesa had a break from the stormy weather for several hours Monday, but the harsh weather was predicted to return.

“We do think the thunderstorms will start up again,� Small said Monday.

However entertaining, the stormy weather is not likely to stick around. Temperatures will rebound by the end of the week and seasonable weather is expected to return, Small said.

20051018ioj8dsknDOUGLAS ZIMMERMAN / DAILY PILOT(LA)A lightning bolt illuminates the night sky behind the First United Methodist Church on 19th Street in Costa Mesa Sunday. 20051018ioj8ebknDON LEACH / DAILY PILOT(LA)Students at OCC duck under an umbrella Monday afternoon.