Record Storm Dropped More Than an Inch of Rain

Record-breaking showers fell on San Diego Thursday in an autumn thunderstorm that dropped more than an inch of rain, more than tripling the normal rainfall total for this time of year.

Rain that began lightly in parts of the county about 9 a.m. Thursday later turned to heavy thundershowers and 1.39 inches of rain at Lindbergh Field before the storm moved on to Arizona early Friday morning.

A record 0.91 of an inch of rain fell between midnight and 6 a.m. Friday, washing out the Oct. 10 record of 0.78 of an inch of rain in 1966. The storm brought the seasonal total to 2.44 inches--2.09 above the norm of 0.35 inches.

Normal rainfall for the month of October is only 0.02 of an inch.

Two to 2.5 inches of rain fell in the mountains and deserts during the storm, as 1.50 inches were recorded in Alpine, 2.10 inches in Campo and 2.03 inches in Julian.

National Weather Service forecaster Wilbur Shigehara said the unusual rainfall so early in the season is not necessarily a harbinger of things to come.

“It is difficult to say if this is a trend. You can’t make a trend by looking at four to six weeks,” he said.

Last year at this time, 0.35 of an inch of ran had fallen, matching the seasonal norm.

The low-pressure system that brought Thursday’s storm moved east on Friday, but forecasters are watching another system in Montana that is expected to move into California by Sunday.

Shigehara said a firmer prediction would be made today, but Friday he was uncertain how much rain might fall in San Diego County Sunday and Monday.

“If the low-pressure goes to Central California, which is our latest weather solution, we will get very small amounts of rain. If it comes into Southern California, we may get heavy rains again. It is an extremely complex pattern developing,” he said.

Cooler than normal weather is expected to continue through the weekend, with partly cloudy skies today and increasing cloudiness on Sunday.