Brace yourselves for more wet weather since a historic winter season isn’t quite finished delivering rain, snow and windy conditions that have toppled trees across San Diego County.
The inclement weather made for a messy morning commute Wednesday as the first wave of a storm passed through the region. The storm dumped measurable rain on the majority of San Diego County and brought more snow to mountain communities.
San Diego News
As of 6:30 p.m., the highest three-day rainfall totals for each microclimate were:
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Coastal
Carlsbad received the most rain with 1.07 inches, followed by .94 inches in Vista and .75 inches in Oceanside.
Inland Valleys
Skyline Ranch, with an elevation of 2,130 feet, received 2.24 inches of rain, so far. Most areas saw an inch of rain or more. Here are some other inland rainfall totals, in inches:
- Alpine: 2.25
- Valley Center: 1.86
- Ramona: 1.23
- Escondido: 1.14
- La Mesa: 1.04
- Poway: .83
Mountains and deserts
Snow dumped in San Diego's mountains. At least 10 inches of snow were reported on Palmoar.
Here are some more snow totals in mountain communities:
- Birch Hill Palomar: 22 inches
- Lake Cuyamaca: 10 inches
- Mt. Laguna: 10 inches
- Julian: 4 inches
- Anza: 3 inches
As for rain, Lake Henshaw saw about 3.8 inches of rain while Santa Ysabel saw 2.13 inches.
Before the weather cleared, it was creating some chaos across San Diego.
In Poway, a giant pine tree crashed into a two-story home before 7 a.m. Wednesday. The homeowner woke up to what he thought was an earthquake but found the tree through his bedroom ceiling. He wasn't injured but said he would have to find a hotel to stay at while his home is renovated.
In the mountain community of Descanso, a large tree fell onto a kindergarten playground and a shed that houses the school's electrical equipment. The Mountain Empire Unified School District called San Diego Gas & Electric to assess the facility and determine if the area was safe.
Gusty winds picked up overnight when a wind advisory goes into effect until 6 p.m. Wednesday. Winds along the coast are expected to be in the 20 to 30 mph range with some gusts up to 50 mph. In the deserts, winds in the 25 to 45 mph prompted a high wind warning from 2 p.m. Tuesday to 10 p.m. Wednesday. Some gusts could reach 75 mph, the NWS said.
Snow levels could be as low as 2,000 feet on Wednesday evening, according to NBC 7 Meteorologist Dagmar Midcap. Up to 2 feet of snow is possible at elevations near 5,000 feet by the time the storm clears the area on Thursday, Midcap said.
San Diego County Advisories and Warnings
- A Frost Advisory is in effect for our coastal areas from midnight to 8 a.m. Thursday as temperatures are expected to drop as low as 34 degrees, the NWS said. Frost could kill sensitive outdoor vegetation if left uncovered.
San Diego County School Closures
Due to the wintry conditions, the following districts were schedule to have a late start Thursday:
- Julian Union Elementary School District
- Julian Union High School District
- Mountain Empire Unified School District
- Spencer Valley School District
- Warner Unified School District
The rest of the 10-day forecast looks clear, but inland communities face frigid temperatures and may get frost early Thursday.
“With temperatures right around freezing, bring the pets inside,” Parveen said. “Make sure you don’t leave any plants outside if you don’t want any damage or cover them.”
