‘Quirk’ Brings San Diego Area Snow, Winds

Cold, unstable air dipped into Southern California via Nevada on Monday, bringing to San Diego County an unexpected storm packing rain, sleet, snow and high winds.

All this was caused by a strong area of high pressure off the coast, combined with lower pressures inland, the National Weather Service said.

The weather was kinder in the Los Angeles area, bringing only cool temperatures and some gusty winds that caused few problems. In fact, the warmest place in the state was Montebello, where the mercury peaked at 66 degrees. The Los Angeles Civic Center reach a high of only 64, after an overnight low of 44.

To the south, downed power lines interrupted service to about 16,000 San Diego Gas & Electric customers throughout the county, leaving some areas without power for up to three hours, SDG&E; spokeswoman Elizabeth Abbott said.

Trees and branches blown down by winds disrupted traffic on several streets and highways in San Diego County, but there were no injuries, authorities said.

The U.S. Coast Guard and the San Diego Harbor Patrol retrieved boats dragging anchor or torn loose from moorings during the high winds, and the Mission Bay Harbor Patrol plucked eight people from Mission Bay channel when sudden gusts capsized their sailboats.

Lightning, thunder and rain amounting to less than a quarter of an inch were reported in San Diego County areas. Two to six inches of snow fell in the mountains, where the snow level was down to 900 feet above sea level, forecasters said.

Forecaster Wilbur Shigehara said it was a quirk that made “conditions . . . just right” for the storm in San Diego County.

“It bypassed everywhere else. San Diego County was at a point where . . . mild temperatures collided with arctic air,” he said.

Forecasters said Los Angeles area skies should be partly cloudy today and temperatures will be cooler, with highs near 60 after overnight readings as low as 35.