A cold storm sliding in from the Pacific Northwest will impact San Diego County later in the week and going into the weekend, but forecasters were uncertain Monday whether the precipitation would produce significant rain and snow. According to the National Weather Service, a trough of low pressure will push down from the Gulf of Alaska and reach Southern California Thursday.
The Alaskan storm that hit San Diego County Tuesday and Wednesday is among the biggest to hit the region in the past couple of years. Forecasters say the downpour in North and East counties will help tamp down the risk of wildfires well into December. The National Weather Service says San Diego’s weather will now gradually dry and warm up through at least Saturday.
While any amount of rain is beneficial for the Southern California region, experts said the small amount that rained in San Diego will not make an impact in drought levels, especially because the ground was so dry. Current conditions show a moderate drought in San Diego. The rain caused slow-moving traffic across several areas in San Diego and a mess for Tracy Hanson, who woke up to a downed tree in her front yard in the Lemon Grove neighborhood.
San Diego County is in the midst of moderate drought conditions, even after experiencing its 28th-wettest December on record, according to the National Integrated Drought Information System (NIDIS).
For farmers like Charley Wolk in Fallbrook, last month’s rain was money to their ears.
“That December rain was verging on miraculous,” Wolk said.
San Diego’s rainy season is off to a good start thanks to a series of atmospheric rivers according to Alex Tardy who is a meteorologist with the National Weather Service.
“Well, for this year, this is our third. The one in late October was strong for Northern California, weak for us, then there was December 14th and that was strong for Southern California,” Tardy said.
