Rains Came, but Mild Storm Not Expected to Linger Long

A tropical storm from Hawaii moved into San Diego on Thursday, scattering rain from the coast to the deserts, but, after a bit more rain today, the storm is expected to be gone by Saturday.

The rains fell on the Tournament of Champions golf tournament in La Costa, but play continued. The temperature was a mild 63 degrees.

“They will have to play in between the rains,” National Weather Service forecaster Wilbur Shigehara said. “The course may be soggy, but it’ll add character to the tournament.”

The California Highway Patrol reported 42 fender-benders Thursday but no major accidents because of the storm.

After gray, cloudy skies and a scattering of rain today, “it looks like a decent weekend,” Shigehara said. He said the weekend will be partly cloudy and dry, with mild temperatures.

“We are watching two storms on the weather map,” Shigehara said. “This one from Hawaii will be gradually moving out, heading for the Rockies by the weekend.”

Waiting in the wings is a storm from the Gulf of Alaska, the area where storms usually spawn in the winter, but it is not expected until early next week, if at all, he said.

The storm from Hawaii is expected to clear out tonight, but, in the meantime, as much as an inch of rain is expected to fall west of the mountains, Shigehara said. As much as 2 inches of rain is expected in the mountains, with a dusting of snow on the highest peaks, he said. Some rain is also expected in the desert.

By 4 p.m. Thursday, 0.09 of an inch of rain had fallen at Lindbergh Field; 0.11 at Cabrillo National Monument; 0.10 in Chula Vista; 0.15 in Escondido; 0.25 in Julian; 0.15 in Oceanside; 0.10 in Poway and 0.13 in Vista. “People are wondering if this means the end of the drought,” Shigehara said. “Absolutely not. It would take two consecutive years of above-normal rainfall to end the drought.”

The rains have been too far apart, and then only in small quantities, he said. San Diego has received 1.34 inches of rain this season, which runs from July through June. That contrasts with 2.23 inches last season at this point and a normal rainfall of 3.28 inches by Jan. 3.

Unlike the two storms dubbed the Yukon Express that brought freezing temperatures and inflicted crop damage over the holidays, the Hawaii storm instead has brought mild temperatures, Shigehara said.

Temperatures at the beach today and Saturday will range from 57 to 63, warming a tad on Sunday. The water temperature is 57 degrees with surf rolling in at 2 to 4 feet.

In the coastal and inland areas, temperatures in the 63- to 68-degree range are expected today and Saturday. Coastal areas should warm by a couple of degrees and inland areas by as much as 4 degrees Sunday.

Nighttime temperatures along the coast will drop to 50 to 57 tonight, and 48 to 55 on Saturday, Shigehara said. Inland areas, he said, will see lows of 45 to 53 tonight and 40 to 50 on Saturday.

Mountain temperatures will reach 45 to 52 today and rise a few degrees on Sunday, Shigehara said. Nighttime lows will reach 35 to 45 tonight and 28 to 38 on Saturday.

Desert highs will climb to 55 to 65 today and Saturday, and increase by a few degrees Sunday. The nighttime mercury will dip to 45 to 52 tonight, 40 to 50 Saturday.