Summer showers dampen post-holiday scene

Deepa Bharath

NEWPORT-MESA -- A day after the holiday that epitomizes summer fun,

the area was struck with rain, lightning flashes and overcast conditions

that swept through the area.

Although John Wayne Airport reported only a trace of rainfall during

the day Thursday, forecasters said more showers are on the way for today

and even Saturday.

“The monsoonal flow is coming from the moist air moving in from

Mexico,” said Miguel Miller, a meteorologist for the National Weather

Service in San Diego.

During the day Thursday, the Newport-Mesa area recorded about 0.03

inches of rainfall, Miller said. He said the muggy, cloudy and humid

conditions will continue into the weekend and that things will probably

start to clear up late Saturday.

Miller said while it is not unusual to have moist, humid or hot

weather this time of year, showers are unusual. He attributed the rain to

unstable air over the ocean.

Harbor Patrol officials said the weather conditions were similar to

what they had been the last two days -- mild but sticky.

Isolated flashes of lightning were also reported Thursday morning,

said Newport Beach Lifeguard Capt. Jim Turner.

“I didn’t see strikes, but I definitely saw flashes this morning,” he

said.

Turner added that the weather, however, calmed the big surf that had

kept lifeguards busy over the weekend and on the holiday.

On the Fourth of July, lifeguards were busy between 3 and 6 p.m. and

totaled 55 rescues for the day, he said.

“We had 18 rescues from Tower 56, most of them to do with rip

currents,” he said.