We say goodbye to the warm and sunny weather tomorrow as the first of two storms this week brings rain to the county.
After 2am we'll see the chance for showers with periods of rain through the morning Tuesday. The most widespread rain tomorrow will be in the afternoon between 2/3pm and 7/8pm along with a slight chance of thunderstorms that may produce heavy downpours and small hail. Be prepared for a slow evening commute.
Rainfall totals with storm one will average between .25 to .75" for the coast and valleys, .50 to 1.00" in the mountains and less than .20" in the deserts.
Snow levels will remain high with storm one above 5,500 to 6,000' which means we'll mostly see rain the mountains.
Winds will pick up during the day tomorrow with southerly gusts of 20 to 30mph for the coast and valleys and up to 45mph in the mountains and deserts.
Wednesday will be a drier day but will remain unsettled, with a few isolated showers possible.
Storm 2 will be much stronger with widespread, heavy rain, and also much colder with lower snow levels. The worst of the rain on Thursday will be early in the morning and continue through the morning commute. If you can pick a day to work from home, Thursday would be a good day to avoid being on the roads.
Flooding will be more of a concern Thursday, with a Flood Watch from the coast to the mountains from 10pm Wednesday until 6pm Thursday. The San Diego river may flood along with other areas in the county as heavy rain moves in. This storm looks very similar to what we saw with Thursday's storm last week with similar impacts.
Rainfall totals for storm two will be higher, averaging between .75 to 1.50" for the coast and valleys, 1 to 3" in the mountains and less than .50" in the deserts.
Snow levels plummeted Thursday between 3,500' to 4,000', which is about as low as they got last week, so expect similar conditions. The higher mountains of Palomar Mountain, Mt. Laguna, and Lookout Mountain may receive 3 to 10" of snow while areas above 4,000' will likely get 1 to 3" of snow, which includes Julian and Ranchita. A light dusting of snow will even be possible for Pine Valley, Descanso, Warner Springs and maybe even the deserts, though it won't stick around for long.
A Winter Storm Watch will be in effect in the mountains from 11am Thursday until noon Friday for the snow expected as well as gusts up to 60mph. Travel through the mountains will be hazardous Thursday into Friday and should be avoided if possible, but if you must, carry chains.
Winds will build overnight Wednesday into Thursday with westerly gusts of 20 to 35mph for the coast and valleys and 45 to 60mph for the mountains and deserts.
Isolated showers are possible on Friday before we dry out and warm-up for the weekend. A weaker storm will bring another chance of rain Monday into Tuesday next week.
While this rain will help put a dent in our drought conditions, it won't clear us out completely. Our deficit is over 5.50" and we remain at level three drought, or Extreme Drought.
Tuesday's Highs:
Coast: 59-63°
Inland: 57-64°
Mountains: 43-55°
Deserts: 66-68°
Follow ABC 10News Meteorologist Megan Parry on Facebook at Megan Parry 10News, Instagram @mis_meg_wx and Twitter @10NewsParry.
