It was picture-perfect weather for a Padres win at the Home Opener today! Things drastically change this weekend as a slow-moving cold Pacific storm will bring widespread rain, strong winds, mountain snow and possible flooding and thunderstorms this Easter weekend.
Downtown San Diego hasn't had measurable rain on Easter since 2002, on March 31 when .05" was recorded.
Ahead of the storm it will remain breezy to gusty on Friday with westerly winds of 15 to 30mph for the coast and valleys and stronger winds of 30 to 55mph in the mountains and deserts. Winds remain gusty through the weekend with a Wind Advisory for the deserts in effect from 2pm Friday to 7pm Saturday for peak gusts to 50mph.
A few showers will be possible after midnight Friday but the brunt of the moisture doesn't arrive until early to mid-morning Saturday and will continue through the day. The rain will be steady most of the day and will be heavy at times leading to a threat of flooding.
This first round of rain will be associated with an atmospheric river sweeping through Southern California. Saturday will be a wash for outdoor activities. A Flood Watch will be in effect from the coast to the mountains from 4am Saturday through 6pm Sunday.
Rain will turn more showery (on and off in nature) on Sunday as the center of the storm rolls through, this is also when we'll see a slight chance of thunderstorms. A few showers will linger into Monday before we dry out on Tuesday.
Widespread rainfall totals of 1 to 2" are expected with local amounts of 3" or more from the coast to the mountains, while the deserts will receive less than .50".
Snow levels will start high on Saturday, above 6,000', then drop to 5,000' to 5,500' by Saturday evening plummeting as low as 4,500' at times through Monday. A Winter Storm Watch will be in effect above 5,000' from 3pm Saturday through 6am Monday where 1 to 4" of snow is possible for Mt. Laguna, Palomar Mountain, and Lookout Mountain.
It certainly won't feel like spring this weekend, as temperatures plummet 10 to nearly 20 degrees below average by Sunday!
Things quickly warm up on Tuesday with continued warming through midweek before another round of wet weather is possible for the end of the week, adding to our over 2" surplus for the water year!
Stay with the Pinpoint Weather Team for updates on the latest storm track and totals for this holiday weekend storm.
Friday's Highs:
Coast: 60-65°
Inland: 60-66°
Mountains: 47-60°
Deserts: 73-77°
Follow ABC 10News Meteorologist Megan Parry on Facebook at Megan Parry 10News, Instagram @mis_meg_wx and Twitter @10NewsParry.
