Gusty winds, rain, even snow expected through weekend as more storms to come to O.C.

It will be rainy, windy and cold through the next spate of winter storms set to arrive this week in Orange County.

Storms are expected to sweep through starting on Thursday preceded by windy conditions, according to an advisory issued by the National Weather Service on Monday. Winds are expected to reach around 25 to 35 mph with gusts up to potential heights of 55 mph in Huntington Beach, Costa Mesa, Newport Beach, Laguna Beach and San Clemente. This compares to winds reported last week, which were traveling at speeds of up to 40 to 45 mph.

Meteorologists at the San Diego station said winds will not be as damaging as in other parts of Southern California, where gusts are expected to peak at 60 mph in the coast and valleys or up to 80 to 100 mph in the mountains and deserts.

“The storm pattern is set up and driving down very cold air from way up north and down the West Coast,” meteorologist Mark Moede said Tuesday. “A series of disturbances in the jet stream are going to be moving across Southern California tonight, then through the weekend that will keep Southern California cold, wet and windy pretty much all the way from Wednesday through Sunday.”

The heaviest rain days will be Thursday and Friday, with Friday expected to be the wettest and windiest. Moede noted the potential for light snowfall in the Santa Ana Mountains.

Rainfall across the several days of storms are expected to total between 1 and 3 inches through Sunday in the coastal and inland parts of Orange County, while the mountains could potentially see up to 4 to 5 inches.

Orange County is above average in terms of rain. Moede said that at John Wayne Airport rain totals were measuring in at 8.63 inches as of Monday. Normal values typically place rain at the airport at around 7.84 inches by this period of the season.

“We’re above average by 0.79 inches. This rain’s going to add to that surplus, which is a good thing for the drought,” Moede said. “Compared to last year at this time, we only had 5.72 inches. We’re 2 inches above in rainfall.”

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