February Can’t Leave Without Crying; 2 Storms in Forecast

February will go out just as it came in--with a splash.

It has been 24 days since rain was in San Diego’s forecast, but the last few days of the month will be much like the first two, with two storms expected to move into the area over the weekend, said National Weather Service forecaster Wilbur Shigehara.

The first storm has been stalled about 700 miles off the coast of San Diego for the past several days, but its remnants will slowly drift into the area by late this) afternoon, he said.

“This first one will have only small amounts of rain in it,” Shigehara said. “We’ll get maybe several-hundredths of an inch of rain, if that much, from it.”

The next storm is expected to hit San Diego by Sunday morning and will be much more significant, he said.

“It has the potential to bring in an inch or more of rain, as well as some pretty gusty winds,” Shigehara said. “We’re keeping our eyes open and watching this one pretty carefully.”

The winds in Sunday’s storm will be near the 25-m.p.h. mark and could pick up further if the storm strengthens as it moves into the area.

“The winds have been a terrible problem this winter,” Shigehara said. “It’s been one of the windiest winters in recent memory. We’ve had the Santa Anas and the storm winds, really damaging winds, (that have) hit us a lot more than usual.”

The last time it rained in San Diego was Feb. 2, when a freak downpour drenched Imperial Beach with more than four inches of rain, while depositing little more than an inch at Lindbergh Field.

A stubborn high-pressure system has kept storms out of Southern California for the past few weeks, but the approaching Pacific storms will be strong enough to move inland, Shigehara said.

Temperatures this weekend will be far more seasonal than they have been for most of the month, according to Shigehara. Even though clouds filtered into the area Thursday, the high temperature at Lindbergh Field hit 70 degrees, four degrees above the norm.

“We’ll see temperatures this weekend right around normal for this time of the year,” Shigehara said. “They might even dip two to three degrees below normal as that storm hits us Sunday.”

Coastal high temperatures will be between 64 and 68 degrees today, between 61 and 66 Saturday and a couple of degrees cooler Sunday as the storm moves out of the area. Lows will be in the upper 40s.

The storms will kick up the surf slightly, with breakers between three and six feet all three days. Ocean temperatures will be near 58 degrees.

Inland area highs will be in the 67- to 75-degree range today, between 65 and 72 Saturday and slightly lower Sunday. Overnight lows will be in the low 40s.

The mountain areas will be cloudy and cold, with snow expected for the higher elevations, Shigehara said. Highs will be in the high 50s and low 60s today and the low 50s Saturday, decreasing four to five degrees Sunday. Overnight lows will be in the upper 30s.

Desert areas will also get rain and clouds this weekend, with highs expected to be in the 74- to 82-degree range today and between 70 and 78 Saturday and Sunday. Lows will be in the 40s.