A slow-moving cold Pacific storm tapping into an atmospheric river and hammering California with rain and snow has moved into San Diego County.
Most rain in the northwest quadrant will become widespread by the afternoon, steadily falling in a diagonal axis direction. The latest computer models show steady rain becoming heavy at times, with the north county seeing the most precipitation. Then, by late Monday night into Tuesday, the rain intensifies. By Tuesday morning, we'll likely wake up to flooding and ponding on the roads and rivers above flood stage.
There is a chance of rain every day this week, but the highest impact days will be Monday and Tuesday. Projected rainfall totals for the coast and valleys are up to 4 inches, with the highest amounts in neighborhoods bordering Riverside and Orange counties. The mountains will likely see nearly half a foot of rain, and the deserts could see up to half an inch. Since there is a risk of thunderstorms, flash flooding will be a concern due to rapid rainfall in a short window.
By this evening, the rain will transition to snow in elevations near 5,500 feet and higher. Mount Laguna and Palomar will likely see a nice snowpack forming late Monday through Tuesday. The snow levels remain high, so Julian will likely have rain.
There is a slew of watches, warnings, and advisories across the state. Locally, the coastal communities are under a High Surf Advisory through 10 PM Monday with waves up to 10 feet and strong rip currents. The valleys and coast are under a Wind Advisory through 10 AM Monday with southeast winds gusting up to 35mph, peaking Monday morning, then weakening towards noon. There is a Flood Watch for the entire county through Tuesday night. The NWS upgraded the Flood Watch to a Flood Advisory for the northwest pocket, where we've seen steady rainfall.
While we're most concerned about the first half of the week, this storm's residual moisture and outer bands will continue bringing us showers through Friday.
By the end of the week, we could meet our annual average for the water year. We've had 5.96 inches of rainfall so far and aren't even halfway into our water year! On average, San Diego gets close to 10 inches of rain per water year, and we could very well beat that number with this week's storm.
Monday's Highs:
Coast: 62-65°
Inland: 60-65°
Mountains:51-59°
Deserts: 64-67°
For the latest news, weather and traffic updates, follow Vanessa Paz on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
