Second storm brings rain and stronger winds to San Diego County
What to Know
- Rain and gusty winds roll back in Tuesday night
- Beware of falling trees, as moist ground and strong winds may cause trees to fall
- Wind advisory in effect Tuesday at 8 p.m. to Wednesday morning
- Winter weather advisory is in effect for San Diego’s mountains until 10 p.m. Thursday
- High surf advisory through Friday
Sunlight broke through the clouds on Tuesday morning, shining a light on the damage San Diego County sustained from Monday’s storm. After a brief dry period, brace for another round of weather on Wednesday. Here’s what to know.
Weather: Tuesday night to Thursday
While Tuesday was sunnier and drier, don’t get too hopeful for San Diego’s famous sun rays just yet.
Round two of rain is expected to arrive late Tuesday night, bringing more precipitation, gusty winds and the possibility of a dusting of snow at lower elevations, according to NBC 7 meteorologist Greg Bledsoe.
A wind advisory goes back into effect Tuesday at 8 p.m. through Wednesday morning with wind gusts of 45 mph possible in the coastal areas and some isolated stronger gusts. The strongest gusts are expected Tuesday night. Beware of falling trees, especially along the coast, where the ground is saturated and will only become more saturated with the rain on the way, Bledsoe added. Such conditions make it easy for trees to fall. During Monday’s storm, a large Torrey Pine tree in Pacific Beach came crashing down on top of a home and a car.
Another round of rain will arrive Tuesday night through Wednesday morning (about a half inch) and while this next round will not be as wet as Monday’s storm, it will be colder, Bledsoe said.
“The majority of the rain that we’re going to see out of this second round should fall while most folks are sleeping [Tuesday night] so you shouldn’t see as much during the day on Wednesday,” Bledsoe said.
Possibilities for snow are dropping lower overnight, possibly down to around 4,000 feet. A winter weather advisory is in effect for San Diego’s mountains until 10 p.m. Thursday.
High mountain dwellers living on Mt. Laguna and Mt. Palomar could see 6 inches to 12 inches of snow between Tuesday and Thursday nights. Lower elevation mountains like Julian could see a mix of rain and snow with very little, if any, accumulation, and then another chance for light dusting of snow on Thursday, according to Bledsoe.
Dangerous rip currents are in the forecast. A high surf advisory is in effect through Friday. The surf will peak Wednesday with waves of 4 feet to 9 feet, while some sets may get as high as 12 feet!
Strong winds and high rip currents are ingredients for a dangerous time for anyone in the water. It’s best to just stay out of the water this week, Bledsoe said.
While Wednesday afternoon will be drier, San Diego County isn’t completely done with the rain yet. High mountain dwellers continue to have more chances for rain and snow on Thursday.
Weather ahead: Friday and the weekend
By Friday, things start to dry out, making way for a drier and slightly warmer weekend, Bledsoe said.
Related weather stories:
This story uses functionality that may not work in our app. Click here to open the story in your web browser.
