Crashes let up amid the rain; lighter showers expected today

Rainfall in Costa Mesa and Newport Beach continued Wednesday, though reports of weather-related traffic collisions lessened.

After five crashes were reported Tuesday morning in Costa Mesa as the storms began, only one was reported in the area Wednesday – a fender-bender near Corona del Mar High School in Newport Beach that resulted in a broken water pipe, safety officials said.

Both Costa Mesa and Newport Beach have seen about a half-inch of rain in the past 24 hours, according to the National Weather Service. The forecast included possible thunderstorms before 10 p.m.

The rain is expected to lighten Thursday, with partly cloudy skies Friday. Daytime highs will be the upper 60s, with overnight lows in the upper 50s to low 60s, the weather service says.

Surfline.com reported 4-foot waves off the Newport coast Wednesday and forecast similar waves Thursday.

— Anthony Clark Carpio

Twitter: @acocarpio