Spring Showers Give Last Hurrah, but Another Storm Brews

Twice as much rain fell in San Diego during the recent storm as was predicted by forecasters. Even so, it didn’t amount to much.

The total rainfall from the storm was measured at .69 of an inch at Lindbergh Field as of 4 p.m. Friday, according to the National Weather Service. Despite a seemingly dry season, the recent showers brought San Diego’s rainfall total for the season, which began July 1, to 10.08 inches, 1.34 inches more than normal.

The spring showers should be long gone by today as the storm front continues to move southeast.

“We’ve pretty much seen everything go by,” said weather service forecaster Harvey Hastrup. “The main storm is into Arizona at this time, and that’s the last hurrah.”

Another storm is brewing in the Gulf of Alaska, but it’s too early to say whether it will reach San Diego, he said.

“It’s liable to come down and affect us sometime Tuesday, with showers through Wednesday, but because it’s so far away, any little change in the storm’s movement could affect the forecast,” he said.

Hastrup noted that cries of impending drought are being heard throughout California, despite the excess of rain here, because other areas of the state have experienced rainfall far below normal.

“Yes, we have had above-normal rainfall by almost 10%, but everything to the north is quite a bit below normal,” he said. “One of the real critical items for the amount of water that’s available throughout California is the amount of snow in the Sierra, and they are very, very down.”

Southern Californians depend on piped-in water from snow runoff to make their summers comfortable, Hastrup said. “But, should this season turn out like it’s showing up to be, it’ll be the second consecutive drought year.”

Partly cloudy skies this morning are expected to clear by the afternoon, and a sunny and warmer weekend is predicted for all areas of the county.

The beach and coastal strip will be breezy, with winds Saturday of 12 to 18 m.p.h. Temperatures will be 65 to 70 degrees Saturday and 70 to 75 Sunday, with nighttime lows of 46 to 51. Inland highs Saturday will reach 68 to 73, climbing to 73 to 78 on Sunday. Overnight lows will be 42 to 47.

In the mountains, winds will be north to northeast at 15 to 25 m.p.h. this morning, decreasing by afternoon. High temperatures will be 54 to 64 degrees Saturday and 62 to 68 on Sunday, with nighttime temperatures of 25 to 35.

The deserts will also be windy today, with northwestern gusts of 15 to 25 m.p.h. Highs Saturday will be 76 to 84 degrees, climbing to 84 to 88 on Sunday. Desert lows will be 48 to 58.