San Diego

Chance of Isolated Showers Saturday in San Diego County as Atmospheric River Rolls Through

The storm wasn't nearly as strong as it was for our northern comrades by the time it reached San Diego County Friday afternoon

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An atmospheric river brought an inch of rain to some parts of San Diego County overnight. Even though Sunday and Monday are forecast to be dry, another storm is expected on Tuesday, the National Weather Service said.

The storm wasn't nearly as strong as it was for our northern comrades by the time it reached San Diego County Friday afternoon.

"Rainfall amounts were higher than predicted with many near-coastal and coastal areas receiving over one inch of rain," NBC 7's Meteorologist Brooke Martell said.

Here are some of the precipitation totals as of 1 p.m. Saturday measured in inches by the National Weather Service:

Coastal Areas

  • CARLSBAD-1.14
  • ENCINITAS-1.15
  • EL CAMINO DEL NORTE-1.14
  • SAN MARCOS LANDFILL-1.11
  • OCEANSIDE -1.06
  • CARLSBAD AIRPORT-1.04
  • FASHION VALLEY- 0.99
  • NATIONAL CITY-0.97
  • VISTA-0.88
  • SAN DIEGO INTL AIRPORT-0.88
  • MIRAMAR-0.87
  • POINT LOMA-0.81
  • KEARNY MESA- 0.78
  • Full list here.

Valley Areas

  • FALLBROOK-1.10
  • ESCONDIDO-1.09
  • DEER SPRINGS 1.02
  • BONSALL CRS 0.98
  • SANTEE 0.88
  • LA MESA 0.84
  • RAMONA 0.73
  • VALLEY CENTER 0.71
  • GRANITE HILLS 0.66
  • Full list here.

Mountain Areas

  • JULIAN 1.00
  • LAKE CUYAMACA 0.92
  • PALOMAR OBSERVATORY 1.25
  • MT LAGUNA 0.41
  • Full list here.

Most of the system rolled out by early Saturday, but there was still a chance for scattered, isolated showers through Saturday night, Martell said.

Daytime highs will be on the cooler side, mainly from the low 60s across inland valleys and along the coast. For the mountains, temperatures will hit the 50s, but it will be much warmer across the desert region with peak daytime highs around the upper 70s.

The desert region will have breezy westerly winds from 20-30 miles per hour and wind gusts that could reach 45 mph. The mountain communities will also have windy conditions in the mix with southwesterly winds from 20-30 mph.

The NWS said Sunday and Monday will be dry but another Pacific storm will bring more rain and high-elevation snow late Tuesday and Wednesday.

Not one, but two major storms are forming off the West Coast, but at this time, San Diego is only expecting light rain, reports NBC 7's Dana Williams.

The same storm system has brought damaging rain, thunderstorms and strong wind to Northern California. A main concern is rain falling on a large snowpack in the mountains and the melted snow at elevations below 4,000 feet could result in flooding, property damage and closed roadways. Nearly all areas of the state from Central California to the state's border with Oregon were under flood watches or warnings. There are avalanche warnings in place for elevations above 5,000 feet.

"Rain is one of the best ways to melt snowpack," NWS San Diego Meteorologist James Brotheron said. "The rain will begin to run off the mountainside and if there's enough of it, it can cause flooding."

NBC 7's Sheena Parveen explains why the region has seen so much rain this season.

As the storm approached, Gov. Gavin Newsom declared states of emergency in 21 counties in addition to earlier declarations for 13 counties. He requested a presidential emergency declaration to authorize federal assistance.

California's Department of Water Resources also activated its flood operations center.

Evacuation warnings were issued in advance for various foothill and mountain communities that are prone to flooding and mudslides. An evacuation order was in place for a small number of central coast residents who live below a levee near Oceano in San Luis Obispo County.

California's Sierra Nevada snowpack, which provides about a third of the state's water supply, is more than 180% of the April 1 average, when it is historically at its peak.

Balboa Park looked like it was hosting a jacket convention, says NBC 7's Joe Little.

February is typically the wettest month of the year for San Diego but we've been dealing with a more active rainy season in California, Brotheron said.

"We could see rain in San Diego through May some years, some years it stops raining in February. It just varies so much," he said.

For now, it seems like we'll continue this wet pattern a while longer. Next week in San Diego is looking to be very active, with two storms possibly hitting the West Coast, which means multiple days of rain chances. State climatologist Michael Anderson said a third appeared to be taking shape over the Pacific and possibly a fourth.

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