Storm Is Expected Today; Another Waits in Wings

After a monthlong dry spell, San Diego is quickly making up for lost time.

A vigorous winter storm moving in from the Gulf of Alaska could dump as much as an inch of rain on San Diego today and tomorrow, and up to a foot of snow in the mountains, the National Weather Service said.

The storm is expected to weaken tonight and dissipate by Thursday afternoon, but another storm in the Pacific is waiting in the wings, forecaster Wilbur Shigehara said.

“We have received 3.42 inches of rain for the season (which runs from July through June), but, if we get a half an inch today and Thursday, we’ll be close to the normal 4.18 inches,” he said. More than an inch of rain has fallen since the first storm moved in Saturday.

Along with the rain, “we may have thunderstorms, and we cannot rule out funnel clouds and waterspouts,” he said. A cold front coming into a low-pressure area can produce funnel clouds.

So much rainfall in a short period can lead to problems. Saturated ground and hillsides could cause street flooding and mudslides, especially in construction areas, Shigehara said.

Temperatures are expected to fall.

“It looks like a very cold storm,” Shigehara said. “We have issued a snow advisory for the mountain areas.”

Snow mixed with rain could fall as low as the 1,500-foot level, making travel hazardous, he said.

Except in the desert, temperatures throughout the county are not expected to rise above 58 today, and will dip into the 30s tonight, according to forecasts.