A strong storm that has brought heavy rain to the Pacific Northwest and snow to the Cascades and Sierras will dive south tapping into an atmospheric river bringing heavy rain, possible flooding and strong winds to San Diego heading into Election Day.
Today brought patchy drizzle to a few light showers with light accumulations of a few hundredths of an inch. Tomorrow will we see periods of heavy rain and the possibility of flooding. A Flood Watch is in effect for the coast and valleys from noon tomorrow until 7am Wednesday while it will start earlier at 4am in the mountains.
The worst of the rain looks to hold off until after the peak of the morning commute, but wet roads and occasional rain may lead to a slow drive. Rain will pick up by mid-morning and will continue on and off into the night and will be heavy at times. Another round of more widespread rain arrives Wednesday morning leading to a potentially messy commute.
Forecast rainfall totals:
Coast: .50 - 1.25"
Inland: .75 - 2"
Mountain: 2 - 5"
Desert: .20 - .50"
This storm will also pack a punch with the wind. A Wind Advisory will be in effect from 7am to 10pm tomorrow for the coast, valleys and deserts for southerly winds of 20 to 30mph and gusts up to 45mph. The mountain Wind Advisory also begins at 7am but lasts until Wednesday at 4am for southwesterly winds of 25 to 35mph and gusts to 50mph.
This is a warmer storm than the one last week which means we won't see as much snow in our local mountains. Snow levels will drop to 5,500' by Wednesday morning which is when we may see a dusting at the highest mountain peaks of Palomar Mountain, Mt. Laguna and Lookout Mountain.
Wednesday will be the coldest day with temperatures trending 10 to 20 degrees below average! Expect upper 50s to low 60s for the coastal and inland communities, low 40s in the mountains and 60s in the deserts.
Showers taper off during the day Wednesday with sunshine returning Thursday and warming into the weekend, though still trending several degrees shy of normal.
Tuesday's Highs:
Coast: 64-68°
Inland: 61-68°
Mountains: 48-61°
Deserts: 74-78°
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