The first round of wet weather will bring the greatest impact through the evening commute today as a weakening atmospheric river moves through San Diego. Rainfall will be light to moderate, heavy at times, but since it will rain for hours, localized flooding and ponding on the roadways is possilbe, so be sure to drive carefully.
The widespread rain with this first round will taper off between 10pm and midnight with isolated showers continuing through the day Thursday. A second round of more widespread and heavy rain and mountain snow moves in for the evening commute tomorrow. There is also a slight chance of thunderstorms and small hail.
Rain will be ost widespread and steady after 4/5pm Thursday through 9/10pm with periods of heavy rain leading to localized flooding and ponding of the roads for the commute. Isolated showers will continue into Friday morning.
Rainfall totals through Friday will average between .50 to 1.25" for the coast and valleys, .75 to 2" in the mountains and less than .25" in the deserts.
Click here to see rainfall totals where you live.
Tonight will mostly be rain in the mountains as snow levels are hovering around 8,000'. Rain will transition to snow by tomorrow morning with heavy snow expected with the second round tomorrow night. Snow levels crash to 4,000' to 4,500' by Thursday morning, staying that low through Friday morning.
A Winter Weather Advisory will be in effect for the mountains from 4am Thursday until 10am Friday. Expect the higher mountains above 5,000', including Mt. Laguna, Palomar Mountain, and Lookout Mountain, to receive 5 to 12" of snow, while lower elevations above 4,000', including Julian and Ranchita, will pick up 1 to 4" of snow. In addition to the snow, gusts up to 55mph will be possible.
With icy roads and strong winds, visibility will be reduced, making travel hazardous. Avoid travel through the mountains if possible, especially Thursday evening into Friday morning, but if you do, be sure to have chains.
Winds pick up tonight with the strongest winds tomorrow. A Wind Advisory will be in effect for the deserts from 10pm today until 10pm Thursday for sustained westerly winds of 20 to 35mph and gusts to 50mph. The wind in the mountains is covered in the Winter Weather Advisory, while the coast and valleys could see westerly gusts of 20 to 35mph.
A Beach Hazard Statement will be in effect along the coast from 10pm Thursday to 4am Friday for waves of 4 to 6 feet and sets to 8 feet along with a slight chance of thunderstorms.
Tomorrow will be the coldest day of the week with highs 10 to 20 degrees below average. Things warm up and dry out for the weekend, with Sunday the warmest day before another round of rain arrives late Monday into Tuesday, and a third storm brings another round of wet weather Wednesday into Thursday. The rain this week and next will help put a dent in our drought conditions but won't clear us out completely, as our deficit in San Diego is over 6 inches.
Don't forget—Daylight Saving Time begins this Sunday! Set your clocks forward one hour before bed on Saturday night.
Thursday's Highs:
Coast: 55-60°
Inland: 50-59°
Mountains: 34-49°
Deserts: 61-65°
Follow ABC 10News Meteorologist Megan Parry on Facebook at Megan Parry 10News, Instagram @mis_meg_wx and Twitter @10NewsParry.
