San Diego can expect light rain beginning Friday afternoon and continuing until Saturday morning from an atmospheric river that will primarily effect Northern California.
The National Weather Service is forecasting rainfall of up to 10 inches in the Santa Cruz Mountains south of San Jose, and in the Santa Lucia Mountains along the coast near Big Sur, as well as several feet of snow in the Sierra Nevada, the Cascades and coastal ranges.
But San Diego County should see only light rain, gusty winds and snow at the highest elevations.
“Rain will spread southward today and end from the northwest on Saturday with greatest rainfall along the coastal slopes of the mountains,” the weather service said. “There will also be periods of gusty west winds for the mountains and deserts through Saturday with the stronger gusts to around 60 mph.”
It will be a relatively warm storm, with highs 59 to 64 along the coast and inland, 50 to 60 in the mountains and 73 to 78 in the deserts.
The weather service forecasts dry conditions with further warming for Sunday and Monday. More precipitation is expected for the middle of next week, around late Tuesday and Wednesday.