Cold, Wind, Rain, Hail...and Snow??

Global warming hits Orange County:

A cold and windy storm should hit with full force sometime after midnight in Orange County, the National Weather Service says, dropping snow levels low in the mountains and bringing heavy rain in places along with possible thunderstorms.

The expected wild weather prompted both a wind advisory and a flash-flood watch for Orange County starting late Friday; a winter-storm warning also is in effect from midnight until noon Saturday in the Santa Ana Mountains and foothills.

It could begin with light rain Friday afternoon on an otherwise mostly cloudy day with highs of 55 to 60.

Then winds pick up, gusting up to 30 mph with heavy rain at times. The wind advisory starts at 10 p.m. and lasts until 10 p.m. Saturday; the flash flood watch is from Friday evening to Saturday morning.

Winds could gust to 35 mph overnight, then there’s more rain Saturday morning, heavy in places — as much as a half inch to an inch in a three-hour period on the coast, up to two inches on lower coastal slopes. There’s a slight chance of thunderstorms in the afternoon with possible hail.

The forecast of snow levels has varied over the past couple of days; the latest says we should expect snow down to 2,500 feet in the Santa Ana Mountains on Saturday and down to 2,000 Saturday night, with snow reaching lower levels in spots with the heaviest precipitation.

The heaviest rain should be over by Saturday afternoon, but daytime temperatures will be unusually cold: in the 40s to low 50s, about 15 to 25 degrees below average.

Wind gusts could hit 40 mph Saturday afternoon.

There’s still a chance of rain and a slight chance of thunderstorms and even hail Saturday night, and the cold overnight could get serious — as low as 32 — with wind gusts to 25 mph.

Saddleback mountain should be pretty picturesque tomorrow morning. I'm going to get some photos.