One more round of rain to go before we finally dry out and get a long break from this rainy weather. This storm will bring mostly light to moderate showers with peak activity Wednesday morning.
The storm will pass south through Baja on Wednesday, bringing isolated to scattered showers in the morning with a slight chance of a few showers into the afternoon. If this storm tracks farther north, near San Diego, we'll see more rain; if it tracks farther south in Baja, we'll see less rain.
Rainfall totals will be lighter compared to recent storms, with most areas picking up between .15 to .50", with the highest totals in the southern portions of the county.
Click here to see real-time rainfall totals where you live.
Another storm will slide south along the open trough the next storm creates, bringing a slight chance of showers into Thursday, with the best chance in the morning. The wind will be the major threat from this next system.
A High Wind Watch will be in effect for the mountains from 8pm Wednesday until 1pm Thursday for westerly winds of 20 to 40mph and strong gusts of 60 to 70mph.
A Wind Advisory is in effect for the deserts during the same time for westerly winds of 15 to 30mph and gusts of 40 to 50mph, isolated to 60mph.
While the coast and valleys will also experience gusty winds of 20 to 35mph, locally higher. The ground is saturated due to recent rain and with these strong winds, downed trees will be a concern.
From strong onshore winds to gusty offshore winds, Santa Ana winds develop by Friday morning and last through much of next week. These gusty winds will continue the threat of downed trees, but luckily recent rain will also mitigate the fire danger.
This long-duration Santa Ana wind event looks to peak over the weekend, with the potential for a secondary peak next week as high pressure builds over the west. Humidity levels will drop between 5 and 15%, while the wind potential is uncertain; this looks to be a moderate to potentially strong Santa Ana wind event. East and northeasterly winds may be between 45 and 60mph for typically wind-prone areas, but those numbers may change.
Recent rainfall has allowed fuel moisture to climb well above critical levels, meaning fire danger will be elevated but not critical despite the forecast for strong winds and low humidity.
While daytime temperatures will warm up, with mostly 70s this weekend, overnight and morning temperatures will get colder due to drier conditions and the lack of overnight clouds. Expect sunrise temperatures in the low-40s near the coast, and even some 30s like at the Oceanside airport, while most of the county will drop into the 30s, and some mountains will be in the 20s. Friday and Saturday mornings look to be the coldest.
The days and nights will get gradually warmer Sunday into next week under sunny skies and continued Santa Ana winds.
Wednesday's Highs:
Coast: 60-65°
Inland: 58-65°
Mountains: 44-58°
Deserts: 62-65°
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