New Cold Spell to Give Growers a Frost to Bear

San Diegans may want to replace their raincoats and galoshes with overcoats and long johns this weekend, when the rain will dissipate and cold weather will return.

Remnants of a storm from the upper region of the Gulf of Alaska will bring a mighty chilly weekend to the county, the National Weather Service reported.

The chance of rain will lessen throughout the weekend, with a 40% chance of showers today and 10% to 20% Saturday.

But a cold front lingering from a storm that brought rain Thursday prompted the National Weather Service to issue a frost advisory for the weekend, especially Sunday morning.

Weather Service forecaster Wilbur Shigehara urged growers to take precautions to protect their crops this weekend.

“We may see frost right to the beaches,” Shigehara said. “Del Mar might have some frost. It looks like a decent weekend coming up. But it’s going to be plenty cold.”

The weekend will be partly cloudy and cold, with highs in the middle 50s and the possibility of some sunshine Sunday.

“The unusual thing about the storm is it’s packing a lot of cold air,” Shigehara said. “Once the storm goes by, it’s going to start drying out. Sunday, there will be a lot more sunshine for the tourists. We’re going to have a pretty cold weekend.”

Shigehara said the snow level may drop to 2,000 feet in the mountains.

Coastal lows will dip into the 30s, while the inland area is expected to drop into the 20s.

The Weather Service also issued a snow advisory in the mountains for today. Mountain temperatures aren’t expected to rise much above freezing through the weekend, and a few snow flurries are due. Daytime temperatures will reach the middle 30s, with nightly lows dropping below 20. Gusty mountain winds may reach 30 to 40 m.p.h.

The desert will be partly cloudy with a 10% to 20% chance of showers, but sunshine is predicted for Sunday. It’s expected to be cold and windy in the desert, with highs in the mid-50s and overnight temperatures from 28 to 35.

The surf is 2 to 4 feet, and the ocean temperature is a brisk 55.