Snow, Sleet Give Kids a Few Thrills : Windy Storm Sets Record for Cold

Snow closed Julian schools, sleet covered Coronado lawns and the temperature dropped to a record low as a winter thunderstorm swept the county Tuesday.

The storm is expected to fade away today, with gradual clearing restoring sunny skies over San Diego County by Thursday.

According to the National Weather Service, the storm will move east tonight after blanketing Cuyamaca Rancho State Park with at least 16 inches of snow.

The storm Tuesday gave San Diego the lowest daytime high temperature for Feb. 24 since weather records have been kept. The 55-degree reading at Lindbergh Field broke the previous record of 56 degrees, set in 1890 and tied in 1899 and 1911.

Schools in Julian, Palomar Mountain and the Mountain Empire School District took a “snow day” Tuesday while Alpine schools remained open, said Jim Esterbrooks, spokesman for the County Office of Education.

In Julian, Sheriff’s Lt. Joe Bingham said about a foot of snow was on the ground, but the roads were plowed through town, and only a couple of people had gotten stuck and asked for help. “We don’t have too many problems; it’s just moving a bit slower,” he said.

At Mt. Laguna, weather observer Elmer Haak said he measured 13 inches of snow Tuesday. He said winds reached 50 m.p.h. on Monday but moderated by Tuesday afternoon.

“This snow is real fine--it looks misty--but it is covering the bushes. The winds were blowing so hard yesterday it knocked everything off,” Haak said Tuesday afternoon.

The snow level fell to 2,500 feet.

The National Weather Service continued its travelers’ advisory through Tuesday night, but forecaster Wilbur Shigehara predicted that it will be lifted today.

According to the California Highway Patrol, chains were required on most mountain roads, including Sunrise Highway, California 79 between Interstate 8 and Julian, and all roads leading to Palomar Mountain off California 76. The chain requirement for California 78 to Julian was lifted Tuesday.

Hail pelted areas throughout the county, Wilbur Shigehara said, and in Coronado sleet sent schoolchildren scurrying outdoors for a closer look at the rare sight.

“The ground was white. I am from Oklahoma and it looked like sleet to me, little balls of ice,” Mary Ann Hathaway at the Coronado Police Department said. “I made snowballs off my front bumper and put them in the freezer. My daughter said they were all leaving the classroom.”

The storm brought 0.52 of an inch of rain to Lindbergh Field in the 24 hours ending at 4 p.m. Tuesday.

In other areas of the county, 1.08 inches of rain fell at Mt. Palomar; 0.75 of an inch at Alpine; 0.30 at Cabrillo National Monument; 0.03 in Del Mar; 0.50 at San Diego Wild Animal Park; 0.84 at San Diego State University; 0.38 in Fallbrook, and 0.29 in Escondido.

Tuesday’s showers brought the seasonal rain total at Lindbergh Field to 7.32 inches--0.88 of an inch above the seasonal norm.

Weather Service forecasters predicted a 30% chance of rain for today under partly cloudy skies.

The rainstorm was blamed for circuit problems Tuesday at San Diego Gas & Electric, spokesman Dave Smith said. He said three circuits were affected and power was disrupted for about 10,000 customers in north Vista, Imperial Beach and downtown San Diego along Martin Luther King Way.

Though the storm was forecast to subside today, chilly weather will continue with temperatures below normal until Friday. Forecaster Shigehara said daytime temperatures will gradually rise before the weekend but nighttime temperatures will drop with the clearing weather. He predicted it would be below freezing in the coldest agricultural areas tonight.

Once the stormy weather disappears, Shigehara said, warmer, sunny weather is expected to prevail through the week.

“By the weekend it will be sunny and nice, and everybody will forget about the storm,” he said.