A late-autumn storm moved across the San Diego on Friday, delivering dustings of mountain snow and more than an inch of rain to some areas while buffeting the region with whipping winds.
Over a 24-hour period ending at 4:15 p.m., the dark clouds dropped 1.38 inches of precipitation in Julian, 1.11 at Lake Cuyamaca, 0.92 in Descanso, 0.88 in Pine Hills and 0.47 in San Diego Country Estates, according to the National Weather Service.
Other late-afternoon rainfall totals included 0.39 at Lake Wohlford and in Valley Center; 0.37 in Escondido and Harbison Canyon; 0.35 in La Mesa; 0.34 in Lakeside; 0.33 in Del Mar; 0.31 in Warner Springs; 0.3 in Bonsall, Miramar and Oceanside; 0.28 in Fallbrook; 0.26 in Poway; 0.24 in Campo and Santee; 0.23 in Barona and El Cajon; 0.2 in Rancho Bernardo; 0.19 in Lemon Grove and at Lindbergh Field; 0.15 in Solana Beach; 0.14 in Carlsbad; 0.12 in Encinitas; 0.1 in City Heights and Mission Beach; 0.08 in Point Loma; and 0.04 in San Onofre.
In the East County highlands, meanwhile, the cold and unsettled atmospheric system dropped up to a half-inch of snow in some locales, down to about the 4,500-foot level, the NWS reported.
The wet conditions also led to some typical rainy-day problems on local commuter routes. Between midnight and 3:30 p.m., the California Highway Patrol logged 197 collisions, as compared with the roughly 140 crashes the agency handles on average over a full day under dry skies.
As it turned out, the storm blew through during a period of high surf along the county’s coastline. The ocean conditions created dicey conditions for swimmers and surfers and prompted lifeguards to close the Ocean Beach Pier this evening, at least through Saturday morning.
The precipitation was expected to dwindle and peter out overnight, ushering in a dry and marginally warmer weekend, according to forecasters. A follow-up low-pressure system is expected to arrive late Sunday night or early Monday, bringing another round of showers and gusty winds.
— City News Service