It’s Warming Up, but Snow Sticks Around

The foot of snow that fell in Cuyamaca Rancho State Park and the 19 inches that covered Mt. Laguna this week were melting Thursday, and roads were open under sunny skies. But park rangers and weather observers said visitors with skis, toboggans and mittens will find plenty of snow for winter activities through the weekend.

According to the National Weather Service, a high-pressure system that began building Wednesday in San Diego County is expected to stick through the weekend, blocking approaching storms and fostering fair, dry weather and a slight warming trend throughout the county.

Daytime highs should warm to more seasonal temperatures, but nighttime lows--although warmer than the chill experienced this week--will still be colder than normal, forecasters said.

Ranger Earl Jones at Cuyamaca Rancho State Park said roads will probably be icy before 9 a.m. and after 4 p.m., but they will otherwise be clear. All day-use areas were open Thursday, and campgrounds were expected to be open by the weekend if the weather cooperates, he said. No traffic problems had been reported since Tuesday. The high temperature in the park Thursday was 34 and the nighttime low was 19.

Park visitors are free to carry off all the snow they can pile into the bed of a pickup truck--it is one thing you can take from state parks. But try taking mistletoe from an oak tree and rangers will slap you with a citation.

Off-road vehicle drivers will also be cited if they leave marked roads, he said. Jones arrested five people on three-wheel, all-terrain vehicles in park wilderness areas this week.

Elmer Haak, an observer for the National Weather Service at Mt. Laguna, said snow had melted off the trees under blue skies and a high temperature of 40 degrees on Thursday.

Humidity had also dropped to below normal near the coast, and relative humidity in most coastal and inland areas is expected to be in the 20% to 40% range today, forecasters said.

All areas of the county should be sunny through the weekend with some high clouds and light winds.

Temperatures should rise gradually in all areas. The high and low measured Thursday at Lindbergh Field tied for the second coldest temperatures on record for Dec. 12. The high of 57 tied that of 1884, and the low of 38 tied the second coldest readings for nighttime lows in 1878 and 1892.

The coldest low on record was 36 in 1949.

Coastal strip and inland valley highs today in the 60s may rise to 70 on Saturday; lows are expected to be 38 to 44 at the coast and in the 30s inland.

The surf is still slightly above average at four to five feet. The ocean water temperature is about 57 degrees.

Mountain highs in the 40s today may reach the 50s Saturday, and nighttime lows will remain cold--in the 16- to 26-degree range.

Desert highs in the 60s today may rise to 70 Saturday. Lows are expected to be in the 30s.