Soaking Still Underway: Rain To Weaken Mid-Week

SAN DIEGO, CA – The second of three quick-succession storms in the forecast for the San Diego area this week brought more cloudbursts to the already soaked region Tuesday and is expected to bring less intense rain and another round of mountain snow.

In a 24-hour period ending at 3 a.m., the first storm dropped 1.23 inches of precipitation in Julian, 1.41 in the Palomar Mountains, .81 in Santee, .68 in La Mesa, .19 in Oceanside, .66 in Escondido, .42 in Fallbrook, .45 at Montgomery Field, .38 at Fashion Valley, .46 in San Ysidro and .55 in Borrego Springs, according to the National Weather Service.

Anywhere between one-tenth of an inch and a quarter-inch of rainfall was expected in coastal and inland-valley areas, with up to three-quarters of an inch forecast for the mountains and less than one-tenth of an inch in the deserts, meteorologists said.

As of 8:30 p.m. Monday, an inch of snow had fallen on Mount Laguna, forecasters reported. Snow levels will drop to 5,500 feet Tuesday morning before rising to 6,500 feet by Tuesday evening.
This storm cell will bring rain through Tuesday evening then weaken Wednesday morning before a third trough brings another round of precipitation Wednesday night through Thursday evening, forecasters said.

Along the coast, the biggest rainfall tally over the 48-hour time frame was 0.63 of an inch, recorded at Brown Field airport in Otay Mesa and in nearby San Ysidro, the NWS reported. San Diego International Airport received 0.49 of an inch.

Across the inland valleys, the top-end moisture reading for the period was 1.24 inches, in Santee, while the highest total for the local deserts was 0.87, in San Felipe, east of Julian.

The showers were expected to continue Tuesday evening, then weaken Wednesday morning. A third, stronger storm will deliver a heavier round of precipitation Wednesday night through Thursday evening, according to meteorologists.

Dry and warmer weather will kick in on Friday and prevail through the weekend, according to forecasters.

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--City news Service/ Shutterstock image