Dress for Rain, Trick-or-Treaters Advised

To be on the safe side this Halloween, weather forecasters are advising Southland trick-or-treaters to dress like someone who uses an umbrella.

Rain may fall today and Sunday, cooling the air and threatening to dampen the spirits of those celebrating Halloween outdoors. However, today’s expected showers should taper off by evening and probably won’t be heavy enough to prevent trick-or-treaters from ringing doorbells, according to weathermen.

“The chances for showers are pretty definite, but I don’t think the rain will stop any child from getting candy free,” said Michael Lewis, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service.

Forecasters predicted at least a 30% chance of rain, which could bring .10 to .50 of an inch of moisture, cloudy skies and cool breezes of up to 25 m.p.h. to the Orange County area.

High temperatures are expected to be in the mid-60s to lower 70s today and Sunday. Low temperatures were expected to be in the mid-50s to the lower 60s.

In Santa Ana, the high Friday reached 74, with a low of 56. In Newport Beach, the high was 66, and the low 58.

The expected showers will be created by two different sources.

Moisture from Selma, a stubborn tropical storm that has been hanging around off the coast of Baja California for several days, will be drawn in from the southwest.

At the same time, a new low-pressure system from the Pacific Northwest will head inland. That means that San Diego could receive the brunt of Selma, while San Francisco most likely will greet the Arctic-born newcomer.

Coastal Orange County, caught in the middle, may receive some of both storms, said Mike Smith, a meteorologist with WeatherData Inc., which provides forecasts for The Times.