After a winter storm dumped about a foot of snow on some of San Diego County's mountain ranges, a warm-up is coming, but we'll see a few cold days and nights first.
San Diego County saw some of the coldest temperatures of this winter season -- and likely the year -- overnight Thursday, NBC 7 Meteorologist Dagmar Midcap said.
Multiple regions in Southern California, including Vista, El Cajon, Palomar Mountain and Lake Cuyamaca tied or broke their previous record-low maximum temperatures, according to the National Weather Service.
The cold night came as a powerful winter storm moved out of the San Diego region. The storm left behind at least 14 inches of snow on Mount Laguna and 6 inches of snow in Julian, according to the NWS' latest tallies.
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As for the rest of the county, 3-day rainfall totals crept past 2 inches for some areas. Get the latest rainfall totals here.
While there is no more rain in San Diego's forecast through February, cold temperatures will remain. Although a warming trend is beginning, it'll take a few days before we reach average temperatures for San Diego this time of year.
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Temperatures Thursday were expected to be about 5 degrees warmer than Wednesday, but it'll still feel cold to San Diegans used to 75 degrees most of the year. Highs were expected to remain in the low 60s for the coast, the valleys and the deserts, while the mountains see temperatures in the low 40s.
A frost advisory will again be in effect from midnight to 8 a.m. Friday for the deserts and valleys, including Escondido, El Cajon, San Marcos, La Mesa, Santee, and Poway.
By Saturday, temperatures will start to normalize. Highs will be 5 degrees below average in the mountains and valleys, about average in the valleys and about 5 degrees above average along the coast.
What to know about the snow:
A layer of snow is covering San Diego's mountains after this week's winter storm. Here are the snowfall totals as of 9:30 p.m. Wednesday:
- Mt. Laguna (6,000 feet): 14 inches
- Birch Hill (5,700 feet): 13 inches
- Palomar Observatory (6,100 feet): 10 inches
- Palomar Mountain (5,500 feet): 7 inches
- Julian (4,150 feet): 6 inches
- Descanso (3,400 feet): 1 inch
- Campo (2,600 feet): .5 inches
Some chain control requirements are still in place on State Route 78 and SR-79. Additionally, the California Highway Patrol will have checkpoints at South Grade Road at SR-76 and East Grade Road at SR-76 to check if vehicles are in compliance.
The California Highway Patrol also urged anyone planning to visit the snow to be safe and practice good snow etiquette, which includes no trespassing on private property, and removing trash when you leave.
Schools:
Several schools districts announced another day of closures on Thursday due to the snow, including the Julian Union Elementary School District, the Julian Union High School District. Those schools would also have a late start on Friday.
The Spencer Valley School District, which had been closed for two days due to the storm, announced a late start for Thursday.
