Rain and Cold to Linger

The forecast for San Diego County bodes poorly for sunshine fans--cloudy, wet and cold is the catch phrase for the rest of the week.

A storm now about 900 miles northwest of San Diego will move into the area by tonight and stick around at least through Thursday, National Weather Service forecaster Wilbur Shigehara said Monday.

The storm, which originated in the Gulf of Alaska, is expected to bring half an inch to 1 inch of rain, with snow above 6,000 feet, he said.

“It’s going to be cloudy and wet and cold, with periods of rain all week,” Shigehara said. “Toward Friday, we may get a little break, but we’re staring at the next one coming in, possibly over the weekend.”

The latest storm comes on the heels of a system that dumped 0.74 of an inch of rain at Lindbergh Field over the three-day period ending Saturday. That system left behind a deep marine layer that brought continued drizzle and spurts of rain the past two days.

At Lindbergh Field, 0.07 of an inch of rain fell early Monday, increasing the total for the month at the airport to 0.80 of an inch. Normal rainfall for April is 0.78 of an inch, Shigehara said.

The total rainfall for the season, which ends June 30, stands at 10.19 inches. Normal rainfall for the date is 8.80 inches.

“This next storm will be just a little weaker than the one this past week, but I would still label it vigorous,” he said. “There is also the possibility that it too may linger a while longer.”

“We talk of April showers, so in some respects this is not that unusual,” Shigehara said. “However, we usually see these types of storms at the beginning of April, and we are approaching the end of the month.”

Highs will be from 62 to 68 degrees today and 60 to 66 Wednesday. Coastal lows will be in the 53- to 58-degree range tonight, inland lows from 47 to 55.

The mountains will have highs in the 40s, with lows near 33. Desert highs will be from 75 to 80 today and in the 72- to 76-degree range Wednesday. Lows will be in the 50s.