When It Rains, March Pours Snow, Sleet, Wind and Hail

A vigorous winter-like storm brought fitful bursts of rain, thunder, hail and snow to San Diego County on Tuesday, while lowering snow levels and boosting this month to the fifth-wettest March on record.

The storm dropped 0.91 of an inch of rain at Lindbergh Field as of Tuesday afternoon, bringing rainfall for the month to 5.87 inches, said Wilbur Shigehara, forecaster for the National Weather Service.

Forecasters expect another inch of rain and 1 to 2 feet of snow in the mountains before the storm leaves tonight. The heaviest rains were expected this morning, with scattered thundershowers and winds up to 40 m.p.h. throughout the day.

“We’re prepared for anything coming out of the sky,” Shigehara said. “Heavy rains, hail, tornadoes, sleet, a lot of stuff. It will be wild as this vigorous storm continues.”

In Mission Valley, lifeguards rescued a 22-year-old man who tried to walk across a barricaded section of Avenida del Rio by the Fashion Valley mall and was swept into the swollen San Diego River, Lt. Charlie Wright with the city Lifeguard Service River Rescue Team said.

German Aceves lost his footing in the surging waters coursing over the road about 2 p.m. and grabbed onto some trees, where he clung until lifeguards arrived with a rubber raft and plenty of rope, Wright said.

Other major roads closed by the river were Fashion Valley Road and Camino de la Reina, River Rescue Team Lt. Brant Bass said, adding that the six or seven rescues executed this month were the result of people ignoring road barricades.

Rainwater overloaded a sewer in Pacific Beach on Tuesday morning, causing 30,000 gallons of effluent to flow into Mission Bay, according to the county Department of Health Services.

The sewage surged out of a manhole at Soledad Mountain Road and Garnet Avenue, flowed into a storm drain and emptied into Rose Creek, which feeds into Mission Bay.

Signs posted last week during a similar spill were left in place from De Anza Point to the mouth of Rose Creek.

Tuesday morning, California Highway Patrol cars escorted motorists through wind-driven snow on Interstate 8, which was closed to one lane in each direction from The Willows to the Imperial County line until about 11 a.m., CHP spokesman John Marinez said.

Rain made highways ripe for spin-outs, which made up the majority of the 49 accidents that required assistance from the CHP Tuesday, Marinez said. Drivers sustained minor injuries in about 15 of the accidents.

Interstate 8 was open as of Tuesday evening, and chains were required on highways in mountain areas of the county, CHP spokesman Joe Roque said.

Blizzard-like conditions were forecast again for today in the mountains, with 40-m.p.h. winds creating a wind-chill factor of 0 degrees.

Snow levels dropped to 1,800 feet Tuesday morning, allowing snowflakes to drift down into avocado and citrus groves at the base of snow-covered Palomar Mountain.

Snow in Campo and hail in Ramona were melting Tuesday afternoon as daytime temperatures climbed back up to 47 degrees, Shigehara said.

Farmers braced for freezing temperatures, forecast to reach the upper 20s and low 30s this morning in areas of Bonsall, Escondido, Valley Center and Pauma Valley, Shigehara said. Snow levels could drop as low as 1,000 feet.

The rest of the week should be clear and dry, with gradually warming temperatures. A few high clouds are expected over Easter weekend.

The storm brought a total of 1.48 inches of rain at Lindbergh Field as of Tuesday afternoon, bringing the season total to 10.64 inches, or 2.63 inches above normal.

Precipitation figures for the 24-hour period ending at 4 p.m. Tuesday were: Coronado, 0.85 of an inch; La Mesa, 0.87; Lemon Grove, 1.0; Vista, 0.71; Julian, 0.85 and Mt. Laguna, 1.6.