More Cold on the Way : Brrr! What Happened to Paradise?

A strong, cold storm hit San Diego County on Monday and is expected to continue today with occasional heavy showers and thunderstorms, the National Weather Service said.

Monday’s storm dropped up to 6 inches of snow in the mountains and 0.12 inches of rain at Lindbergh Field.

The California Highway Patrol reported tire chain requirements Monday night on several San Diego County mountain roads above the 3,500-foot level because of snow and ice. Chains were required on Sunrise Highway between Interstate 8 and the Laguna summit, on California 79 between Interstate 8 and Julian, on Palomar Mountain Road from California 76 to the observatory, and on Montezuma Valley Road from Ranchita to the road’s crest before descending to Borrego Springs.

A travelers’ advisory was issued for the desert, forecaster Wilbur Shigehara said.

Shigehara said the weather will remain chilly and stormy through Wednesday morning, with erratic gusty winds reaching 30 m.p.h. in the valleys as the remainder of a low-pressure storm system centered over Nevada is replaced by a high-pressure system.

“It struggled to hit 58 degrees (Monday),” Shigehara said. “It’s going to be a mixed bag of happenings, including winds, snow and thunderstorms. It’s going to be cold for a few days. When it gets below 60 degrees in San Diego, it’s cold.”

There were rain showers and thunderstorms throughout the county Monday as well as reports of hail in four areas. Palomar Mountain reported 0.46 inches of rain, El Cajon 0.30, and Escondido 0.13 inches. In the mountains, the U.S. Weather Service reported 3 to 6 inches of snow at Cuyamaca Lake, 4 inches of snow at Mount Laguna and 3 inches at Julian. The snow level is expected to drop to 2,500 feet.

High temperature at Lindbergh Field was 58 and the low was 46. The California Highway Patrol reported no major accidents.

For today, highs in coastal and inland areas will be 55 to 58. Lows in the coastal areas will be 40 to 46, and inland they will be 34 to 43. The surf will be three to six feet at 10-second intervals.

“There will be a decreasing chance of rain Wednesday, about 30%,” Shigehara said. “The storm is primarily centered over Nevada, so the most rain would be Tuesday and Wednesday morning, then dissipating later in the afternoon. Thursday will still be cloudy, but by Friday we will have a general warming trend.”

Shigehara said that, by the weekend, the weather will be “very nice and comfortable” because of a high-pressure system replacing the current low-pressure system. He cautioned, however, that nighttime temperatures will drop to 20 in some areas.

In the mountains, the highs are expected to be 30 to 38 and the lows 18 to 26.

In the deserts, motorists are advised to watch for blowing dust and sand. Highs in the desert will be 56 to 64 with lows of 33 to 41. Winds reaching 40 m.p.h. are expected in both the mountains and desert.