After a wet start to the rainy season, San Diego is in the midst of a dry spell that will last until at least Thursday and possibly a lot longer, says the National Weather Service.
Cool air is flowing into the region from the northwest, keeping temperatures slightly below average. Forecasters say San Diego’s daytime high will be in the 63 to 64 degree range for most of the week.
Last year came in and went out like a wet lion in San Diego County. In between, it was a relatively tranquil, although not uneventful weather year.
Southern California’s wettest December in nearly a decade quashed any danger lingering from destructive wildfires in fall, but experts warn that red flag conditions could return as early as April.
It’s a new year, and a time to take stock in California’s most precious commodity: water.
While October marks the start of the new water year, state hydrology leaders opened the new year with the first measure of snowpack in the Sierra Nevada, east of Sacramento.
Southern California will get a chance to dry out this week after a string of storms dumped rain and snow across the region over the last few weeks.
“Basically, we’ve got an area of high pressure moving in from the West, and it’s deflecting the storms to the north,” said David Sweet, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Oxnard.
The weather is expected to stay dry through at least Sunday, forecasts show. Temperatures are also expected to warm up later in the week, with highs in the mid-60s to lower-70s on Friday and Saturday, according to the weather service.
Angelenos will get a brief reprieve from soggy weather Thursday after a series of storms dampened the region over the past week, but forecasters say we shouldn’t get used to it. The rain convoy is continuing as a cold front from the Pacific Northwest begins to move into California on Friday. The northern part of the state is expected to see the first rain early Friday. The storm will roll into Southern California by Friday night and will linger across the state through Sunday, bringing widespread rain and snow, according to the National Weather Service. Los Angeles and Ventura counties are expected to get less than a quarter-inch of precipitation, while San Luis Obispo County could see up to an inch in most areas and up to 2 inches in the foothills.
Remember fire season and power outages? They seem so long ago now.
The cold storms that suddenly doused the Bay Area over the past week instantly flipped a switch from summer to winter weather conditions. But so far, they have brought radically different amounts of rain to communities across Northern California.
“We basically went from fire season to rain season in a matter of 48 hours,” said Matt Mehle, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Monterey. “We’re making progress, but we could still use some more rain.”
A new storm fed by the first atmospheric river of the season is expected bring rain to Northern and Central California beginning Saturday, and cause significant travel delays and hazards for Thanksgiving travelers returning home on Sunday, the National Weather Service said.
Based on predictions of its water vapor transport capacity, this atmospheric river is classified as moderate to strong.
Gusty winds in the San Diego County mountains this morning will precede significant rain showers throughout Southern California Wednesday, with a cold storm expected to make road conditions challenging for holiday traveler through the end of the week.
Wind gusts reaching 35-45 mph are expected in the mountains before the first front of the storm comes through Wednesday afternoon, National Weather Service meteorologist Miguel Miller said.
After a dry, tranquil day Tuesday, a cold, soggy guest will muscle its way into Southern California’s holiday plans late that night.
A deep upper-level trough of low pressure is forecast to develop over the West Coast and bring cold, wet conditions to the region from Wednesday through at least Friday, according to the National Weather Service. The system is carrying sufficient moisture to bring moderate to locally heavy precipitation and, with the cold air aloft, may generate isolated thunderstorms.
