December Will Continue Showing Its True Color (Not Blue)

After weeks of unrelenting sunshine, December is finally showing its true color: gray. Tidings of rain, biting cold and a winter storm warning will make for a Grinch of a weekend, the National Weather Service says.

A 70% chance of rain is predicted for today and Saturday, accompanied by gusty southerly winds of up to 30 m.p.h. and high temperatures that will remain firmly in the 50s, said forecaster Wilbur Shigehara. A winter storm warning, cautioning travelers against high winds and snow at 4,000 feet, was issued Thursday afternoon for the mountains.

The rain, predicted to fall in spurts, is expected to leave up to 1.5 inches on Santa Ana-parched San Diego, Shigehara said. San Diego is behind its normal rainfall for the season by 0.88 inches.

“The Santa Ana was hanging around for such a long time, since Thanksgiving, that it makes this rain very precious to San Diego,” Shigehara said. “It’s like a million dollars. The plants will love it, the lawns will look great. This will benefit everybody in San Diego by bringing good rainwater.”

The oncoming storm originated from a weak low-pressure system in the Gulf of Alaska that intensified over Nevada, he said. As a result, it brought ferocious winds to the San Francisco Bay Area and snow to Paso Robles, he said.

“It looks like this low pressure got stuck off of Point Concepcion, and it’s going to stall there for a couple of days,” Shigehara said. “By Sunday, the system should start to move out and bring partly cloudy skies and a 30% chance of rain.”

The coastal and inland areas can look for daytime temperatures in the mid-50s today and Saturday. Overnight lows for both areas will range in the upper 30s to mid-40s through the weekend.

The ocean temperature is 56 degrees. The surf is at 4 to 6 feet.

The winter storm warning for the mountains should be lifted by today, Shigehara said. However, a separate snow and wind advisory will remain in effect at least until Saturday afternoon, and travelers should use caution, Shigehara said.

Daytime mountain temperatures will range in the mid-30s through the weekend. Overnight lows will range from 25 to 30.

The deserts are expected to have daytime temperatures in the upper 50s to low 60s and nighttime lows in the 40s.