Get Ready to Batten Down the Hatches : ‘Ferocious Winds,’ Rain Forecast as Spring Takes Bow in San Diego

Spring will whip into San Diego this weekend, as a storm expected to reach here Saturday brings showers and “dangerous” winds, impairing all types of travel, the National Weather Service said.

Spring arrives at 7:52 p.m. today, but the last day of winter will be calm in comparison to the first few days of spring, forecaster Wilbur Shigehara said.

“It’ll be cool and breezy and good kite-flying weather (today), but winds will quickly reach the dangerous level by Saturday,” he said. “This will be sort of an encore of last weekend, but we’re looking at even more ferocious winds making it dangerous for flying, boating and traveling.”

A two-man Harbor Patrol boat flipped in choppy waters Sunday because of gale-force winds, which also tore dozens of vessels loose from their anchors and forced the closing of Mission Bay channel to boat traffic.

A small-craft advisory has been in effect since Thursday morning, according to Shigehara. It is expected to be upgraded by Saturday to a gale warning, issued when winds reach 39 m.p.h. or higher.

A travelers’ advisory is also in effect for mountain and desert areas, and travelers on all county highways and streets are warned to use caution while driving over the weekend.

“We’re advising people to listen to the latest reports before traveling anywhere on Saturday and Sunday,” Shigehara said. “This storm has us looking for abrupt and dramatic weather changes, making traveling conditions very dangerous in the mountains and deserts and even somewhat dangerous on local streets.”

Although the showers will be secondary in comparison to the winds, the storm is expected to bring up to three-quarters of an inch of rain to San Diego County between Saturday morning and Sunday night. The snow level will drop to 4,000 feet, which is slightly below the elevation of Julian, Shigehara said.

“March has been a big disappointment, rainfall-wise,” he said. “It is normally the second-wettest month of the year, providing 1.60 inches of rainfall. So far it has produced only 0.62 of an inch. However, it is possible March may still live up to its reputation because the long-range charts predict this last part of the month will be mostly wet.”

Temperatures are also expected to remain below normal levels, Shigehara said. The high at Lindbergh Field reached 62 degrees Thursday, while normal for that date is 66.

Highs today will range from 60 to 65 degrees at the beaches and 62 to 68 inland. Highs in both areas will be in the 58- to 64-degree range Saturday and Sunday. Coastal lows will be between 48 and 53 and inland lows between 35 and 45.

Mountains will have highs between 45 and 53 and lows ranging from 25 to 33. Desert highs will be between 68 and 76, with overnight lows in the mid-40s.