Coast Is Clear: Look Out for Sun : Weather: Cold, stubborn overcast to disappear for a while, but it will be breezy, meteorologists say.

Sun worshipers, don’t despair. Summer may arrive at long last.

The gloomy cloud cover that has dampened spirits across Orange County for the entire week is expected to be replaced this morning by gorgeous blue skies and brisk breezes, meteorologists said.

“It looks like the dry season has finally hit,” said Steve Burback, a meteorologist with WeatherData, which provides forecasts for The Times. “Cold weather will be very infrequent from now until August, for sure.”

The stubborn, heavy overcast, which was generated by a slow-moving storm in the Pacific Northwest, has persisted since Saturday, lowering temperatures during the week as much as 16 degrees below average, meteorologists said.

As it rumbled across the Pacific Northwest, the storm brought measurable rainfall to Washington, Oregon, Northern California and eastward to Idaho and Montana.

Drizzle was reported in spots in Orange and Los Angeles counties, and parts of Ontario and Riverside.

“It feels like fall in Hartford,” said Brandon Hall, a Cal State Fullerton student and New England transplant who was trying to take in the sights of an almost-deserted Newport Beach. The chill in the air on Thursday made it almost unbearable, though.

“I moved out here to get away from that,” Hall said. “But with these last few days, I’ve had to wonder a few mornings where I was.”

The downside to the clearing trend was high winds.

The Las Vegas area on Thursday was raked by winds gusting more than 70 m.p.h., knocking out power, disrupting gambling, blowing down signs and sinking at least four private boats on Lake Mead.

All three Las Vegas television stations were knocked off the air at various times and air traffic at busy McCarran International Airport was halted for a time.

Power was out for a time in much of downtown Las Vegas and power surges were reported in some hotels on the Strip. However, the major hotels and casinos used auxiliary power.

In the Ridgecrest area of the Tehachapis, winds were clocked at 90 m.p.h. and some minor damage to the roofs of some homes was reported, but there were no injuries.

Nevertheless, the forecast for clear weather holds out the prospect of a promising weekend for hikers, bikers and beach-goers throughout Orange County, meteorologists said.

In contrast to Thursday’s high of 66 in Santa Ana, temperatures are expected to reach the mid to upper 70s today. By Monday, temperatures should be back to a seasonal normal in the upper 70s and low 80s.

Predictions that the sun will return soon brought relief to many summer-hungry Orange County residents, who have been waiting out the dreary days with increasing impatience.

“It’s really cramping our style,” said Kathy Hower as she sat in her Jeep at Newport Beach.

Hower said she usually takes her 6-month-old son, Jason, to the beach almost daily. But for the last week they have opted to stay indoors.

“Jason loves to look at the waves, and it helps me deal with stress,” Hower said, “but we can’t afford to spend a lot of time out here until it warms up. I am afraid we will both catch a cold.”

Area lifeguards lamented that their normally busy post-Memorial Day period has been replaced by hours of boredom, staring at vast empty stretches of sand.

“It’s deserted,” declared Newport Beach lifeguard Eric Bauer, adding that the quiet scene had been the same for the past five days. “No one is even lying on the beach, much less going in the water.”

Southern California has been bogged down with off-again, on-again cloudy days since March, which is unusual for the season, meteorologists said.

But for some people, it would take more than cool air to keep them from the ocean.

“The waves are great, and I can’t break my habit of coming out each day,” said Lew Olson, dressed in a still-dripping, full-body wet suit. “I am not saying the water isn’t cold, but after a while I don’t even notice it.”

He added the caveat: “I have, though, been increasing my intake of Vitamin C just in case I get a cold.”

Winter’s Last Call A late-season, low-pressure system passed throught the West this week, bringing clouds and low temperatures to Southern California. The storm will move farther east today, and the sun will reassert its dominion over the Southland. 1. Gulf of Storms: The Gulf of Alaska is the birthplace of California’s winter storms, which get pushed south by the jet stream. By May, such weather is ususally repelled by a high-pressure system that sits off the coast. However, this week’s late straggler had enough power to push back that high system and temporarily eclipse the summer. 2. Bring in the Clouds: As the low-pressure system traveled toward the Great Basin, clouds that normally rest off Orange County’s shoreline were able to move inland. 3. Good Weather Returns: The Pacific high-pressure system-a huge offshore weather pattern that keeps California’s skies clear-returns to its normal location after being temporarily shunted to the southwest this week. No Clouds Inversion Layer: 3,000 ft. Orange County Clouds are usually held back by an inversion layer-cooler air trapped by a blanket of warmer air above. Compressed by an offshore high-pressure system, the layer acts as a wall. Coastal winds blowing southward also help keep the clouds at bay. Low Clouds Inversion Layer: 4,000 ft. Orange County As the low-pressure system pushed ashore, the inversion layer rose, and the clouds moved farther inland. Written by DANNY SULLIVAN / Los Angeles Times