Forecaster Dreaming of a Wet Christmas

San Diegans won’t see any snow--except in the mountains--but they will probably see plenty of rain as heavy showers and strong winds whip through the areas this holiday weekend.

A “vigorous” storm, accompanied by 30-m.p.h. winds, is expected to drench the county Saturday night and Christmas morning, possibly triggering a wind and snow advisory for the mountains, National Weather Service forecaster Wilbur Shigehara said.

“We’re talking about significant rainfall amounts of a half (inch), to an inch maybe,” Shigehara said. “Because of strong, gusty winds up to 50 m.p.h. and snow at the 5,000-foot level, we might issue a wind and snow advisory for the mountains.”

Today and Saturday will be dry with partly cloudy skies, Shigehara said. Heavy rains and southerly winds ranging from 15 m.p.h. to 25 m.p.h. are forecast for late Saturday afternoon, and are expected to linger through Christmas morning.

Blustery Days

“It’s going to be a rather blustery three days,” he said. “We can’t seem to shut the winds off.” The winds Friday will be from the northwest, but Saturday’s winds, which could reach up to 30 m.p.h., will shift to the south, signaling the arrival of the storm, Shigehara said.

A drying-out period is expected to take hold Christmas afternoon, Shigehara said. Although the skies will remain cloudy, there is no rain on the horizon until another storm moves into San Diego at mid-week, he said.

Whether wet or dry, however, the weekend promises to have cool to cold temperatures. Daytime highs for the coastal strip and inland areas will range from 58 to 63 through Christmas Day.