One last storm system for the week is passing through San Diego County, with rain and gusty winds expected to diminish into Friday morning
The National Weather Service’s San Diego office said that a main concern was gusty and “potentially damaging” west winds along the mountain crests and adjacent desert slopes. A wind advisory will remain in effect until at least 2 a.m. Friday.
“The combination of wind and heavy snow will make driving (Thursday) afternoon and evening in the mountains an unsafe adventure better left undone,” NWS San Diego observed in a forecast discussion.
“There is also a slight chance of thunderstorms mainly in coastal areas and western valleys along with this band.”
Some spates of heavy rain may cause localized flooding in some areas, the NWS added.
An additional 3 to 8 inches of snow was expected for county mountains Thursday into Friday morning. Strong winds may result in blowing snow and limited visibility, with snow levels as low as 3500 to 4000 feet.
As of midweek, the bands of dark clouds had delivered moisture amounts ranging from just over a tenth of an inch to nearly six inches across the county, the NWS reported.
During a 72-hour span ending at 10 a.m. Wednesday, the NWS said that the unsettled atmospheric system dropped:
- 5.89 inches of precipitation at Lake Cuyamaca;
- 4.78 in Julian; 4.66 in Pine Hills; 4.5 in Julian;
- 4.03 at Henshaw Dam; 3.93 on Birch Hill and Volcan Mountain;
- 3.75 at Palomar Observatory;
- 3.44 in Mesa Grande;
- 3.41 in Pine Valley;
- 3.11 in Skyline Ranch;
- 3.1 in Oak Grove;
- 3.08 in Santa Ysabel; and
- 3.02 in Descanso.
Also among the local three-day rainfall totals were:
- 1.98 inches in La Mesa;
- 1.96 in Santee;
- 1.93 in Campo;
- 1.88 in Rancho Bernardo;
- 1.86 in Kearny Mesa;
- 1.84 in Tierra Del Sol;
- 1.74 in Miramar;
- 1.7 in Carlsbad;
- 1.63 in Bonsall;
- 1.61 in San Marcos;
- 1.59 in Couser Canyon;
- 1.57 at Brown Field Municipal Airport and in San Felipe;
- 1.39 in Mission Valley;
- 1.38 in Vista;
- 1.36 in San Onofre;
- 1.35 in Las Flores;
- 1.23 at Montgomery-Gibbs Executive Airport;
- 1.16 at San Diego International Airport;
- 1.14 in National City;
- 1.03 in Point Loma;
- 1.01 in Oceanside;
- 0.75 at Naval Air Station North Island;
- 0.52 in Borrego Springs;
- 0.28 in Canebrake;
- 0.22 in Agua Caliente; and
- 0.14 in Ocotillo Wells.
Along with the ongoing rounds of rain and snow, the storm on early Wednesday whipped up winds reaching 76 mph in the mountains (4:08 a.m., Birch Hill); 80 mph in the inland valleys (3:30 a.m., El Cajon Mountain); 52 mph in the desert (5:40 a.m., In-Ko-Pah area); and 49 mph along the coast (3:51 a.m., Oceanside Municipal Airport).
Friday through Monday will be warmer and drier with high temperatures climbing to about five degrees above average, the weather service reported. Additionally, the rain that was supposed to return mid-week is now far less certain.
