The weekend brought beautiful, pleasant conditions to San Diego County but major changes are coming. A cold winter storm is heading toward Southern California, impacting the region for the first half of the week.
Monday will be a transition day with cloud coverage dominating and light rain possible. Tuesday, rain chances will build through the day, picking up in the evening hours and staying strong through Wednesday morning then fizzling out by Wednesday evening. Thursday, skies clear again and sunshine returns.
For the entirety of the storm, rain totals could get up to around half an inch for areas west of the mountains with localized rain totals surpassing that for some areas that get caught under heavy cells. Thunderstorms are possible with this system as well.
Mountains will also get snow! Snow levels will drop from about 4,000 feet Tuesday to 2,500 feet Wednesday. Multiple inches are expected at higher elevations. A Winter Storm Watch has been issued for San Diego mountains from 1 p.m. Tuesday to 7 p.m. Wednesday.
Simultaneously, winds will pick up as well, making for a blustery week. Winds will favor the eastern parts of the county Monday before spreading to the coast by Tuesday. Widespread gusts could reach 50 MPH, with isolated winds getting up to 70 MPH.
Starting Thursday, conditions clear and temperatures start to warm back up, making way for a sunny and pleasant weekend.
Monday's highs:
Coast: 58-62º
Inland: 57-63º
Mountains: 45-53º
Desert: 68-73º
Follow Meteorologist Leah Pezzetti on Facebook at Leah Pezzetti 10News, or Twitter and Instagram @LeahPezzetti.
