Showers and chilly temperatures swept San Diego County amid the Thanksgiving Day weekend.
Locals woke up to slick roadways and rainfall Friday as many headed out to malls for Black Friday shopping. NBC 7’s Whitney Southwick said scattered showers were moving throughout the county, bringing steady, heavy rainfall.
“We’re seeing the rain become more scattered through mid-morning and isolated showers this afternoon,” Southwick explained. “Snow continues to fall in our mountains, down to 4000-feet, in fact, so places like Julian and maybe even Pine Valley could see some snowmen pop up.”
He said coastal, inland and mountain regions would continue to see rain throughout Friday, with temperatures in the lower-60s at the coast, breezy highs in the upper-50s inland and highs in the upper-30s in the mountains, plus snow flurries there. The deserts will experience a mix of broken clouds and a few sprinkles, with temps in the upper-50s, Southwick said.
At night, Southwick said the storm will move out, leaving behind clearing skies and very cold temperatures. He said snow will continue to fall in our mountains into Friday evening and possibly early Saturday morning.
As of 9:25 a.m., Southwick said between a half-inch to four inches of snow had fallen in the mountains. Laguna Mountain and Palomar Mountain saw much of that fresh powder.
He forecasted temps in the mid-40s for the coast, mid-30s inland, upper-20s in the mountains and lower-30s in the deserts Friday, and said it should be even colder Saturday night throughout the county – though a bit warmer during the day.
To that end, the National Weather Service (NWS) issued a freeze watch for San Diego Friday in effect through Saturday morning. Another freeze watch will be in effect from late Saturday night through Sunday morning, the NWS confirmed.
Areas impacted by this freeze watch include central and eastern San Diego County valleys, including Ramona, Jamul, Alpine and other country regions. Valley Center and Rainbow Valley would also be affected, the NWS said, by “several hours of sub-freezing temperatures.”
Those temps will likely be between 26 and 32 degrees.
The chilly weather can harm unprotected crops, sensitive plants and pets who are outside, so the NWS said locals should take precaution to protect their crops and bring their pets indoors in a house or barn.
Get weather updates from NBC 7 here, plus track the rain with our interactive radar and map tools.
