Sunday brought a mixed bag of weather to San Diego County.
Not only was an Excessive Heat Warning in place for deserts and Heat Advisory in place for mountains and inland valleys through daylight hours Sunday, but monsoon moisture surged into the area.
In the afternoon hours, monsoon thunderstorms picked up, starting in the eastern parts of the county then pushing west. These thunderstorms brought a display of lightning around the county, plus brief periods of heavy rain for areas caught under cells. Here are some of the rain totals:
Barona: 1.31"
Mount Woodson: 0.90"
Birch Hill: 0.33"
Alpine: 0.27"
Ramona Airport: 0.22"
Poway: 0.05"
As of Sunday evening, most of the excitement has calmed down, but is expected to pick up again in the afternoon hours through the next few days. These storms will favor the mountains and deserts, but could drift into the valleys like we saw Sunday. Storms are strongest Monday and Tuesday, lingering Wednesday.
Monsoon storms can be both a good and bad thing for fire crews working to put out flames in fires like the Chaparral Fire burning along the northern part of the county. While the cloud coverage and rain can help with the fight, gusty winds and lightning strikes can be bad for crews. Plus, dry brush on the ground is fueling the fire.
After Wednesday, conditions dry out and sunshine returns just in time for the Labor Day weekend.
Temperatures will see a nice cool-down. Sunday, highs held off a bit due to cloud coverage, but the real cooling trend will begin Monday. Highs will gradually drop a few degrees heading into the end of the workweek. That will mean the mid-70s along the coast and in the mountains, lower 80s for inland valleys and lower 100s for the deserts.
Monday's Highs:
Coast: 73-85º
Inland: 83-92º
Mountains: 82-94º
Deserts: 103-110º
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