It was another warm day across the county with 70s and 80s almost everywhere! Temperatures drop 5 to 10 degrees tomorrow for much of the county with thick marine layer clouds in the morning along with patchy fog as the onshore flow strengthens.
Use this last dry day to prepare for more wet weather as two storms will bring impactful rain to our county this week and next; both will tap into atmospheric rivers and have a deep moisture source. The biggest impact days will be Thursday this week and Monday and Tuesday next week. Temperatures will plummet 15 to 25 degrees by the end of the week when highs will top out 5 to 10 degrees below average.
Storm One:
Major threats: heavy rain, flooding, thunderstorms, damaging winds, high surf and some mountain snow.
Timing: Showers begin early Thursday morning by 4/5am with intensity and coverage building after 7/9am through the early afternoon. Rain will turn more showery and less widespread and steady late Thursday afternoon through Friday and while most rain will be light to moderate, periods of heavy rain will continue. Any thunderstorms that form will produce very heavy rainfall in a short period of time increasing the threat of flooding.
Preliminary rainfall totals from Thursday through Friday will range between 1 to 2.5" and locally up to 3" from the coast to the mountains with most of it falling on Thursday and .25 to .75" in the deserts.
A Flood Watch will be in effect for the entire county from 6am Thursday through 10am Friday. The San Diego River and Santa Margarita River are forecast to reach flood stage.
Wind: Unlike last week's storm this one will have very strong winds with peak winds on Thursday morning. A High Wind Watch will be in effect for the coast and valleys from 4am to 4pm Thursday for southerly winds of 15 to 30mph and gusts of 40 to 50mph. With the ground already saturated from last week's rain the threat of downed trees will be greater with this storm so be sure to pay attention to your surroundings and park your vehicle outside of striking distance of potentially falling trees. Also, secure any loose outdoor items from blowing away.
Surf: High surf will impact the beaches with a High Surf Advisory in effect from 2am Thursday through 6am Saturday for waves of 5 to 7' and sets of 8 to 10'.
Snow: Snow levels will start high above 7,000' on Thursday crashing to 4,000' to 4,500' by Friday morning which means Thursday will mostly be rain with rain transitioning to snow for the higher mountain elevations overnight Thursday into Friday. Julian sits at 4,200' so we may get a dusting in Julian while the higher mountain elevations of Mt. Laguna, Palomar Mountain and Lookout Mountain could get 1 to 4 inches of snow.
Stay with the Pinpoint Weather Team for the most up-to-date information and impacts of this storm as well as any weather warnings that get issued as this storm rolls in.
Saturday looks mostly dry with only a slight chance for a few light showers, mainly in the mountains, with another storm arriving as early as Sunday afternoon or evening.
Storm Two:
A slow-moving storm will bring another round of widespread rain potentially as early as Sunday afternoon with the biggest impact expected on Monday and Tuesday with showers lingering into Wednesday. It's still too early to pinpoint how much rain this next storm will bring but it's best to prepare now so you don't get caught off guard.
Wednesday's Highs:
Coast:64-68°
Inland: 70-73°
Mountains: 55-69°
Deserts: 76-78°
Follow ABC 10News Meteorologist Megan Parry on Facebook at Megan Parry 10News, Instagram @mis_meg_wx and Twitter @10NewsParry.
