‘Drying Up Slowly’ : Rainstorm Fading, Some Sunshine Due

The rainstorms that drenched San Diego County this week are fading and some sunshine, with high clouds, is expected for the weekend, the National Weather Service said.

“The main storm system is moving toward . . . a ridge of high pressure and it’s breaking it up,” forecaster Ray Robben said.

Another winter storm coming today from the northwest is expected to bring only high clouds to Southern California as it passes by to the north of the county.

“Showers are decreasing all over,” Robben said. “There will be some clouds today, but there is no rain in the forecast for the weekend. Things are drying up slowly now.”

Beach areas will have increasing high clouds today with temperatures between 58 and 61 degrees. The surf has dropped to 4 to 6 feet, down two feet from Monday, and the high tide was at 3.2 feet Wednesday afternoon. The ocean water temperature is 60 degrees.

Coastal areas will also experience an increase in clouds today and the highs will be between 60 and 65 degrees, with lows in the 41- to 47-degree range. Inland lows will range between 32 and 40 degrees.

After Wednesday’s scattered showers, desert areas will have increasing clouds and winds between 15 and 25 miles an hour. The highs will be between 64 and 72 degrees with lows around 40.

Mountain travelers can see snow on the ground at the 5,000-foot level along with increasing clouds if they hurry.

“The snow is not going to last too long,” forecaster Dan Atkin said. “It’s only about 6 to 8 inches thick. It shouldn’t last through the weekend.”

High temperatures in the mountains are to be 36 to 43 degrees with lows between 20 and 28. A mountain traveler’s advisory for snow and fog has been canceled.

The storms of Sunday and Tuesday night that made up this week’s rains dropped a total of 1.68 inches on the county, bringing the season total to 6.23 inches--2.68 inches above normal.

Minor flooding in Mission Valley and on local streets was the only sign of damage, Atkin said.

“Most of the areas just got pretty much rain,” Atkin said. “There was some flooding in the usual areas, but no real damage was caused.”