Approaching Storm May Break Dry Spell, but Only Briefly

For 40 days and 40 nights, not a drop of rain has fallen in San Diego, but a weak storm approaching from the west may break the spell.

The storm will bring clouds, lower temperatures and a 30% chance of light showers today, and a 40% chance tonight and Thursday, said National Weather Service forecaster Wilbur Shigehara.

“This storm carries with it only small amounts of rain,” he said Tuesday. “Some places might accumulate a quarter of an inch over two days, but I really don’t think we will be seeing anything more than that.”

It has not rained in San Diego since March 2, when .72 of an inch fell at Lindbergh Field.

“This has been an unusually long dry period for San Diego,” Shigehara said. “March is usually the second-wettest month, and we received very little rain then, and none so far in April.”

On average, 1.60 inches of rain falls in March at Lindbergh Field, and .78 of an inch in April.

The drier-than-normal conditions have prompted forestry officials to declare the brush-fire season about two months early.

Daytime temperatures will slip a few degrees to more seasonal levels as the storm works its way through the area, Shigehara said. The high at Lindbergh Field on Tuesday was 74 degrees, with today’s high expected to be closer to the seasonal average of 68.

Inland areas should see highs in the 70- to 78-degree range over the next couple of days. Overnight lows will be in the 50s in the coastal and inland areas.

“We have been much warmer than usual for this time of year,” Shigehara said. “Our highs have been 10, 12 degrees above normal, and the inland areas especially have been quite warm for this time of year.”

The clouds and showers are expected to clear out by Friday morning, with warmer temperatures and fair skies returning for the weekend.

“We will be clearing out and warming up by the weekend,” Shigehara said.