The chilly, rainy weather that pummeled San Diego County over the weekend also brought snow to local mountains – but how much?
The National Weather Service released its final roundup of Southern California snow and rain totals from over the weekend on Monday morning.
San Diego Snowfall Totals
The list included 7 inches of snow in Mount Laguna as of 8 a.m. Monday above 6,000 feet of elevation, and 4 inches in Palomar Mountain above 5,300 feet as of 7 a.m.
At 8 a.m. Monday, the Laguna Mountain Lodge on Sunrise Highway was reporting 7 inches of snow on the ground, too, with the temperature at 28 degrees and partly sunny.
Meanwhile, the NWS reported that SoCal’s Big Bear Snow Summit topped the list with 18 inches of snow above 8,800 feet of elevation. Snow Valley Resort also saw between 12 and 15 inches of snow over the weekend.
The overnight snowfall and chilly temps led some east San Diego County schools to shift to distance learning-only Monday, the San Diego County Office of Education said.
So, it was sort of like a Snow Day – pandemic style, with virtual learning – for the Julian Union Elementary School District and Warner Unified School District. Julian Union High School had a traditional snow day on Monday, with no in-person or distance learning.
San Diego Rain Totals
As far as rainfall, the NWS said the top 10 rainfall totals from the weekend storms included 3.98 inches in Lake Cuyamaca (No. 1 spot on the list), followed by 3.31 inches in Pine Valley, and 2.72 inches in Julian – all areas in San Diego’s East County.
Local
Descanso saw 2.66 inches of rain and Mount Palomar saw 2.44 inches, too.
In San Diego’s coastal areas, the NWS said Montgomery Field saw 0.88 inches of rain, while Kearny Mesa saw 0.77 inches. Other spots that saw more than a half-inch of rain included:
- San Marcos Landfill: 0.67 inches
- Carlsbad: 0.61 inches
- Miramar: 0.54 inches
- Encinitas: 0.52 inches
And just under a half-inch:
- Oceanside: 0.49 inches
- Fashion Valley: 0.45 inches
- Brown Field: 0.44 inches
- San Onofre: 0.39 inches
- San Ysidro: 0.27 inches
- San Diego International Airport: 0.26 inches
In the valleys, some rain totals included:
- Mount Woodson: 1.59 inches
- Harbison Canyon: 1.44 inches
- Ramona: 1.35 inches
- Poway: 1.13 inches
- Valley Center: 1.05 inches
- Flinn Springs: 1.03 inches
- Granite Hills: 0.86 inches
- Santee: 0.82 inches
- Fallbrook: 0.79 inches
- Rancho Bernardo: 0.78 inches
- Escondido: 0.77 inches
- La Mesa: 0.74 inches
And, in San Diego Deserts, noteworthy spots for rainfall over the weekend included:
- San Felipe: 0.74 inches
- Borrego Palm Canyon: 0.37 inches
Chilly Temps Continue Monday Night
NBC 7 meteorologist Sheena Parveen said although Monday is dry and less windy, the chilly temperatures would linger throughout the San Diego County, into Monday night.
In fact, Parveen expected it to be even colder Monday night than it was over the weekend. The NBC 7 First Alert Forecast showed temps in the upper-40s at the coast and around 40 inland.
Parveen said the foothills would be near-freezing, and the mountains in the 20s.
And, while there’s no frost advisory in San Diego County, the NWS said there is one in effect just north, in Riverside, California. The frost advisory there is in effect from midnight through 8 a.m. Tuesday, with temperatures as low as 32 degrees, which the NWS said would “result in frost formation.”
Gradual Warm-Up Ahead
Parveen said we can expect a warming trend for the rest of the week and into the weekend.
“We'll gradually see a rise in temperatures into the weekend with cold overnight low temperatures,” she explained.
By Sunday, San Diego’s coastal and inland areas should be back in the 70s.
