Smidgen of Rain Dampens Roads, Causes Accidents

A bit of rain--only 0.01 of an inch in most areas--played havoc on the highways Thursday morning, causing many fender-bender accidents and two deaths, the California Highway Patrol reported.

Among the more serious incidents were a fatal accident on Miramar Road near Clayton Drive involving an overturned tanker and another involving a pedestrian on southbound Interstate 5 near Palomar Airport Road. Most, though, were chain-reaction type accidents, including four crashes in the Washington Street area of California 163 and several bang-ups on southbound I-5 near downtown.

Most of the rain fell between 4 and 8 a.m. Thursday, with Cuyamaca receiving .79 of an inch. Many areas received only 0.01 of an inch, while 0.02 of an inch was measured at Lindbergh Field and 0.05 of an inch in Julian and Coronado.

It appears that is all the rain San Diego will get for a while, National Weather Service forecaster Wilbur Shigehara said. A building high-pressure system will keep the skies clear and daytime temperatures mild, with brisk nights through election day, Shigehara said.

“Nights are going to turn cold, so people should bundle up at night,” Shigehara said.

Lows inland are expected to fall to the 30s or 40s overnight, so those in the El Cajon, Escondido and Rancho Bernardo areas should not be surprised to find a touch of frost Saturday or Sunday morning, he said.

The high-pressure system, which is blanketing the West, is bringing with it high winds and high tides. Winds from the Northwest may gust up to 25 m.p.h., and up to 35 m.p.h. in the mountains, but will weaken throughout the weekend.

Large high tides may cause some minor overflow but no structural damage, Shigehara said. High tide will be 7.5 feet at 8:37 a.m. Saturday and 9:16 a.m. Sunday.

“People need to realize that it may be a little dangerous out there, so be cautious,” he said. “The waves can really fool you, so don’t take chances.”

Temperatures at the beaches this weekend are expected to be 64 to 68 degrees through Saturday, up to 68 to 73 on Sunday. The coastal strip daytime highs will range from 65 to 70 today, Shigehara said, increasing a few degrees this weekend while dropping nightly to 45 to 55. Highs inland are expected to hover in the 70s through Sunday, falling to 35 to 45 nightly.

The forecast calls for mountain areas to be 45 to 50 today, possibly increasing to the low 60s by Sunday. Nighttime temperatures could bottom out at 24 to 34 degrees. The deserts will have highs of 78 to 83 degrees and up to 88 by Sunday. Temperatures will fall to 45 to 55 by nightfall.

The surf is 5 to 6 feet at 10-second intervals, and the water temperature is 66 degrees.