Alaska May Send Rain This Way Today, Sunday

A cold and wet winter storm arriving from the Gulf of Alaska is expected to hit San Diego today, bringing showers and snow before drying up in readiness for another storm as early as Sunday.

Dan Atkin, meteorologist with the National Weather Service, said the storm will bring with it a 70% chance of rain, with the percentage diminishing to 50% by tonight.

Today’s storm will drop as much as a quarter of an inch of rain downtown and half an inch in the rest of the county. Hail and thunderstorms could develop throughout the county, said meteorologist Wilbur Shigehara of the National Weather Service.

Forecasters say that up to 8 inches of new snow can be expected at the 3,000-foot level.

Winds gusting up to 40 m.p.h. with blowing snow also are expected in the mountains, prompting a winter storm watch, Shigehara said. The downtown area and the rest of the county can expect blustery 25-m.p.h. winds.

Surf will also be up, with occasional 8-foot breakers at some beaches.

Partly clear skies, cool temperatures and a breeze are expected Saturday. Coastal communities can expect temperatures in the low 60s and inland areas will have temperatures in the low to mid 60s. Desert temperatures will be in the mid 30s to mid 40s, and the mountains will have temperatures in the mid-20s and 30s, Shigehara said. Overnight lows may be accompanied by frost in some areas.

The next storm, thought to be milder, could arrive by late Sunday or early Monday, Shigehara said.

“The next storm may disrupt the flow of storms,” Shigehara said, but added that “this pattern of storms from the Gulf of Alaska will continue.”

Shigehara said the storm following Sunday’s should arrive sometime in the middle of next week. Wednesday’s storm brought a third of an inch of rain to the downtown and as much as 8 inches of new snow to some mountain areas, forecasters said.