Countywide

Fast-moving desert thunderstorms dumped heavy rains and hail in the mountains of eastern San Diego County, prompting officials to declare a flash-flood watch for the entire county.

In Julian, high in the mountains, the National Weather Service reported hail and more than 2 inches of rain. More than 1.5 inches of precipitation, including hail, pelted Mount Laguna.

A flash-food warning--sign of a more imminent deluge than the countywide watch--was issued for the mountain zone.

The thunderstorms were expected to dissipate late Saturday, but could revive today as moist air from Mexico continues to flow into desert and mountain regions, said Richard Stitt, a National Weather Service forecaster in San Diego.

There was some possibility that the thunderstorms could migrate to the coastal areas, Stitt added.

In the coastal strip, temperatures remained unseasonably cool Saturday, continuing a summer-long trend. Saturday’s high at Lindbergh Field was 72 degrees, compared to a normal high of 78.

Meantime, forecasters predicted that the stubborn marine layers, which have kept coastal temperatures cool, may finally begin to wane this week.

The morning and evening clouds, a feature of late spring and early summer in San Diego, are normally expected to diminish by July, but the marine layers have clung tenaciously to area skies deep into August.