Sun Takes a Holiday as Rainstorm Moves In

Rain-filled clouds will replace the sunny skies that sent droves to the beaches last week, weather forecasters said.

A Pacific Ocean storm will pass over San Diego today, unleashing heavy rains and possibly thunderstorms this afternoon and evening, said Dan Atkin, a forecaster for the National Weather Service in San Diego.

The brunt of the rainstorm will hit today, with lingering showers on Monday, Atkin said.

Up to an inch of rain will fall in the coastal area and possibly two inches will drop in the inland region, “by the time everything is over on Monday,” Atkin said.

There will be a winter storm watch in the mountains today, the weather service said. The storm could drop 3 inches of rain and up to 10 inches of snow in the mountains; the snow level will be at the 4500-foot level, Atkin said.

Winds in the mountains will be between 25 and 30 m.p.h. and about 25 m.p.h. in the lower levels, Atkin said.

The high temperature in the coastal and inland areas will be near 63 degrees, and the low will be about 51 degrees today and Monday, according to the weather service.

In the mountains, the high will be 44 degrees, and the low will be 32 degrees today and Monday.

Atkin said a lot of cold air from the Gulf of Alaska is behind the ocean storm.

Ocean waves will be nearly 5-feet high and “choppy as the winds come in,” Atkin said.

There will be a brief dry period on Tuesday, then more rain is expected on Wednesday.

“It’s going to be a stormy week,” Atkin said.