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Despite Recent Warm Weather, Rain Still Likely

POSTED: 4:31 pm PDT March 16, 2010
UPDATED: 2:46 pm PDT March 17, 2010

San Diegans experienced summer-like weather around the county Tuesday, but weather experts said storms may be headed this way in the immediate future.

For the second consecutive day, temperatures reached the 70s at the beach areas. As of 2 p.m. Tuesday, the inland valleys reached the mid-80s. These temperatures put San Diego above average by 8 to 20 degrees.

Experts with the National Weather Service said the rain is not done for the season. In fact, San Diego County may still see some showers in the forecast, although a large area of high pressure will keep the county warm and dry this week and possibly for the remainder of March.

NWS meteorologist Mark Moede said, "There are still storms out in the Pacific near Japan that could come our way."

During the rainy season, experts said March is normally the second-wettest month, averaging 2.26 inches and 7 days with measurable amounts.

The possibility of rain is courtesy of El Nino, which with its warming of the central tropical Pacific Ocean can drastically change the storm track. This causes the jet stream to dip farther south than normal, enabling numerous storms to hit San Diego, according to experts.

"The largest warming was in December and January, and since that time the warming has decreased. But it's still enough to have some impact on our weather," said Scripps Institution of Oceanography researcher Sam Iacobellis.

It's not a guarantee it will rain in April and May, but the ingredients are still out there that could produce more storms.

Experts are urging San Diegans to not set aside umbrellas and raincoats just yet.

They said June is when San Diego can safely say it is all clear.
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