The last in a series of heavy winter storms delivered more downpours to the already sodden San Diego area Tuesday while slowly moving out of the region, making way for a predicted period of fair and warmer weather.
The unsettled atmospheric system — the third to drench the county over the last week — shed lighter and more scattered rain through the morning and afternoon than local communities had seen for much of an unusually wet January, forecasters said.
During the 24-hour period ending at 5 p.m., the showers dropped anywhere from a few hundredths of an inch to roughly a quarter-inch of moisture along the coast, up to nearly half an inch in the valleys, as much as three-quarters of an inch in the mountains and less than one-tenth of an inch in the deserts, according to meteorologists.
Among six-day precipitation totals were 11.29 inches at Palomar Observatory; 10.49 at Birch Hill; 10.39 in Julian; 9.95 at Lake Cuyamaca; 9.6 in Pine Hills; 9.19 in Descanso; 9.05 at Henshaw Dam; 8.83 on Mount Woodson; 8.74 in Mesa Grande; 7.84 in Oak Grove; 7.61 in Pine Valley; 7.45 in Santa Ysabel; 7.35 on Volcan Mountain; 7.28 at Rainbow Camp; 7.05 at Skyline Ranch; 6.65 in Campo; 6.32 in Couser Canyon; 6.16 in Bonsall; and 6.07 at Lake Wohlford.
Other tallies over the period included 5.96 inches in Alpine; 5.94 in Fallbrook; 5.93 in Escondido; 5.79 at Ramona Airport; 5.62 in Harbison Canyon; 5.54 in Rincon Springs; 5.46 in Valley Center; 5.25 at Dulzura Summit; 5.1 in Barona; 5.02 in Flinn Springs; 4.93 in Goose Valley; 4.81 in Poway; 4.76 in San Diego Country Estates; 4.56 at Miramar Lake; 4.47 in La Mesa; 4.38 in Rancho Bernardo; 4.24 in Deer Springs; 4.05 in Granite Hills; 3.67 in Santee; 3.37 in Oceanside; 3.25 in Kearny Mesa; 2.93 in San Onofre; 2.86 in Encinitas; 2.75 in Carlsbad; 2.68 in San Ysidro; 2.52 in Mission Valley; 2.51 in Point Loma; 2.5 at Brown Field airport; 1.95 at Lindbergh Field; 1.07 in Borrego Springs; 0.97 in Agua Caliente; and 0.94 in Ocotillo Wells.
Patchy frost is expected to develop overnight in the inland valleys, possibly killing sensitive outdoor plants if they’re left uncovered. A frost advisory will extend from 9 p.m. Tuesday until 8 a.m. Wednesday.
Campuses in the Julian Union High School District, Julian Union School District, Mountain Empire Unified School District, Spencer Valley School District and Warner Springs Unified School District were closed Tuesday due to inclement weather. Julian Union District schools will also have a late start Wednesday, according to the San Diego County Office of Education.
Low temperature records for the date were set in Alpine, El Cajon and Vista. The 49-degree high in Alpine was one degree lower than the previous lowest high for the community set in 2008. The 54-degree high in El Cajon erased the previous record of 59 set in 2004. The high in Vista was 55, two degrees less the previous record set in 1971.
On Monday, Gov. Jerry Brown declared a state of emergency for San Diego County due to the tens of millions of dollars in damage caused by the powerful storms. Brown’s proclamation also covers 49 of California’s 57 other counties.
Drier and gradually warmer conditions are expected Wednesday and Thursday, with an even more pronounced warm-up Friday through Monday as high pressure aloft strengthens near the West Coast, according to the National Weather Service.
–City News Service
