Tropical Rainstorm Gives an Inch, Moves On

The tropical storm that dropped mostly light but steady rain over San Diego the past two days is expected to be gone by today, leaving dry, mild weather for the weekend, a National Weather Service forecaster said.

The brunt of the storm hit Friday morning. By the afternoon, nearly an inch of rain had fallen.

With the exception of the mountains, Lindbergh Field received the most rain, with .79 of an inch. Mt. Laguna was tops with 1.75 inches, while La Mesa had .67 of an inch and Oceanside and Vista each received only .28 of an inch.

Aside from the usual rain-related fender-benders on the highways, few problems were caused by the storm.

“Without wind, you don’t get a whole lot of problems with tree branches falling on wires or wires slapping together,” a San Diego Gas & Electric Co. spokesman said.

Friday’s rain brought the seasonal total to 2.04 inches, far below San Diego’s average rainfall of 3.34 inches by this time. This time last year, there had been 2.23 inches.

“The storm was not too exciting,” said National Weather Service forecaster Wilbur Shigehara. “The dryness will come just in time for the weekend. Rain is like a double-edged sword. The farmers liked it, and want more. But the parks and the Chamber of Commerce don’t, because they say it affects tourism.

“Most people have to agree the rains are good. You’ve got to have rain sometime,” he said.

A shift in high-altitude winds, arriving from the Hawaiian Islands instead of the Yukon, was the cause of the storm, which is now expected to bring partly cloudy skies and comfortable temperatures for the weekend.

But, by early next week, another storm, this time from the Gulf of Alaska, may brush by San Diego with a small amount of rain. Northern California will receive the brunt of the storm, which is expected to bring much-needed snow to the Sierra Nevada.

Temperatures at the beaches this weekend will range from 57 to 64, with the water temperature nearly 58. The surf is 2 to 4 feet, with sea breezes of 8 to 16 m.p.h.

Coastal and inland areas are expected to be 62 to 68. Overnight lows will be 51 to 56 on the coast and 47 to 55 inland, Shigehara said. Mountain highs will range from 48 to 56, with lows of 32 to 42, he said. Desert highs in the 60s are expected, dropping overnight to the 40s.