Near freezing rain, heavy fog, and dropping temperatures were experienced at San Diego's local mountains. At Mountain Laguna (around the 6000 foot mark), local mainstays looked forward to the business boom that goes along with the weather. The Mount Laguna Lodge still had a few room openings, but not many. The owner, Tom McWay, said, "Its been kind of slow since the last storm in December, everyone just sitting around waiting for the snow to happen.Now its coming so they are all starting to come up again." At the nearby Blue Jay Lodge, manager Terri Lee Mayberry, said the last storm meant standing room only crowds. She is expecting something similar this weekend. "I do have a term that I call herding cattle with people. We have an awful lot of people coming through here." A Christian group of high schoolers had already made their way to the Blue Jay Lodge. According to the group's leader, Whitney Bovensipe, their itinerary is sparse so they can enjoy the cold weather. "We want it to snow, and we want it to snow a lot too, because we have sleds...We want to go on a hike in the snow" she said. Commuters and truckers dealt with fog so thick it was hard to see ahead of you on the road. Truck driver Saul Fresco said, "You just got to slow down...You got to keep at least, two football fields, at least." CHP Officer Brian Pennings offered some advice."You need to maintain both hands on your vehicle, because if a gust of wind hits you, you are able to maintain control...Do not park on the roadway, do not unload on the roadway...If there is a barbed wire fence, that is likely private property." He also encouraged visitors to arrive the mountain early. At times, when traffic is too intense and there are not enough parking spots for everyone, CHP must shut down the mountain.
Blustery Weather
The first of several back-to-back storms expected to douse the San Diego area with rain and snow this week made for another chilly, wet and blustery day across the region Friday. Widespread showers prevailed in the county through the morning, then dwindled around midday, making way for dry and partly sunny skies in many locales, according to the National Weather Service. Over a 24-hour period ending at 3 p.m., the dark cloud banks dropped 1.04 inches of precipitation in Julian, 0.71 of an inch in Rancho Bernardo, 0.57 in Serra Mesa, 0.41 in downtown San Diego, 0.39 in Encinitas and 0.21 in Otay Mesa, the NWS reported. As usual, the downpours ushered in hours of roadway problems far and wide. Between midnight and 1 p.m., the California Highway Patrol logged 109 traffic accidents on the county's freeways and rural routes. By comparison, the agency typically responds to 50-75 crashes during a full day of fair weather. A second, more frigid atmospheric pattern is expected to arrive Friday evening and will likely generate heavier rain through Saturday, according to the Weather Service. The potential intensity of the predicted cloudbursts prompted the federal agency to issue a flash-flood watch for the region, effective from 4 p.m. Friday through Saturday afternoon. The unsettled conditions also could generate lightning and ocean funnel clouds, the NWS advised. "It's a pretty vigorous little cold front coming across the region," Moede said. The storm likely will dissipate Sunday, but yet another one could bring more showers Monday and early Tuesday before fair weather returns to the region, according to forecasters.
Beach Warning
SAN DIEGO - Storm-driven wastewater out of Baja California prompted an ocean pollution warning for the shoreline of Imperial Beach Friday, authorities said. The advisory extends a previous contamination notification north of the Mexico border, according to the San Diego County Department of Environmental Health. The sewage-tainted flows entered the surf from the Tijuana River, the department reported. Signs warning of water-borne health hazards will stand along the affected stretches of coastline until follow-up testing deems them safe again for recreational use.
Rain brings a chance to conserve water
SAN DIEGO - With rain expected Thursday and Friday, businesses and residents in San Diego County are being asked to conserve water by turning off irrigation systems. Officials with the San Diego County Water Authority said landscape water systems can remain off for a week to 10 days after a rainfall and longer if there is heavy precipitation. The SDCWA estimated that a voluntary one-week hiatus from using sprinkler systems throughout the region would save about 2,000 acre-feet of water. The need to conserve water is necessitated by ongoing drought conditions and a judge's ruling that limits the amount of water that can be pumped from the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta in order to protect an endangered species of fish. The state is in the second year of a drought, and forecasters are predicting a relative dry winter.
Flash Flood Watch for mountains
FLASH FLOOD WATCH IN EFFECT FROM 4 PM PST THIS AFTERNOON
THROUGH SATURDAY AFTERNOON..
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN SAN DIEGO HAS ISSUED A
* FLASH FLOOD WATCH FOR A PORTION OF SOUTHWEST CALIFORNIA..
INCLUDING THE FOLLOWING AREAS...ORANGE COUNTY COASTAL AREAS..
RIVERSIDE COUNTY MOUNTAINS...SAN BERNARDINO COUNTY MOUNTAINS..
SAN BERNARDINO AND RIVERSIDE COUNTY VALLEYS-THE INLAND
EMPIRE...SAN DIEGO COUNTY MOUNTAINS AND SANTA ANA MOUNTAINS
AND FOOTHILLS.
* FROM 4 PM PST THIS AFTERNOON THROUGH SATURDAY AFTERNOON
* HEAVY RAIN IS EXPECTED WITH A COLD FRONT THIS EVENING AND IN
SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS DEVELOPING BEHIND THE FRONT LATER
TONIGHT THROUGH SATURDAY. ADDITIONAL RAINFALL AMOUNTS BETWEEN
ONE AND TWO INCHES ARE POSSIBLE OVER THE CHINO HILLS...THE SANTA
ANA MOUNTAINS AND FOOTHILLS...AND THE FOOTHILL COMMUNITIES IN
SAN BERNARDINO COUNTY BETWEEN RANCHO CUCAMONGA AND CHERRY
VALLEY. ALONG THE COASTAL SLOPES OF THE MOUNTAINS OF SAN
BERNARDINO COUNTY...RIVERSIDE COUNTY...AND SAN DIEGO
COUNTY...ADDITIONAL RAINFALL AMOUNTS BETWEEN TWO AND FOUR INCHES
ARE POSSIBLE.
* THE GROUND IS SATURATED FROM THE MODERATE TO HEAVY RAINS THAT
FELL THURSDAY EVENING. ADDITIONAL HEAVY RAIN WILL LIKELY LEAD TO
EXCESSIVE RUN OFF AND CAUSE FLOODING OF STREAMS AND CREEKS.
RECENTLY BURNED AREAS AND STEEP TERRAIN AREAS MAY ALSO
EXPERIENCE MUD AND DEBRIS SLIDES.
A FLASH FLOOD WATCH MEANS THAT CONDITIONS MAY DEVELOP THAT LEAD
TO FLASH FLOODING. FLASH FLOODING IS A VERY DANGEROUS SITUATION.
YOU SHOULD MONITOR LATER FORECASTS AND BE PREPARED TO TAKE ACTION
SHOULD FLASH FLOOD WARNINGS BE ISSUED.
Winter Weather Advisory for the mountains
ANOTHER COLD FRONT WILL MOVE ACROSS THE AREA THIS EVENING AND
TONIGHT FOLLOWED BY COLD UNSTABLE AIR. MODERATE TO HEAVY
PRECIPITATION IS EXPECTED WITH THE SNOW LEVEL LOWERING TO 4500
FEET OVERNIGHT AND CONTINUING NEAR THIS LEVEL THROUGH SATURDAY
EVENING. HEAVY RAIN IS EXPECTED ON THE MID AND LOWER COASTAL
SLOPES AND A FLASH FLOOD WATCH IS IN EFFECT FOR THESE AREAS.
CAZ055-056-058-070515-
/O.NEW.KSGX.WW.Y.0001.090207T0000Z-090208T0600Z/
SAN BERNARDINO COUNTY MOUNTAINS-RIVERSIDE COUNTY MOUNTAINS-
SAN DIEGO COUNTY MOUNTAINS-
109 PM PST FRI FEB 6 2009
...WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY IN EFFECT FROM 4 PM THIS AFTERNOON TO
10 PM PST SATURDAY..
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN SAN DIEGO HAS ISSUED A WINTER
WEATHER ADVISORY FOR HEAVY SNOW...WHICH IS IN EFFECT FROM 4 PM
THIS AFTERNOON TO 10 PM PST SATURDAY.
SNOWFALL RATES OF ONE TO TWO INCHES PER HOUR...BEGINNING THIS
EVENING AND CONTINUING THROUGH SATURDAY EVENING ARE POSSIBLE.
AT ELEVATIONS ABOVE 6000 FEET...SNOW FALL AMOUNTS BETWEEN 12 AND
24 INCHES ARE FORECAST.
AT ELEVATIONS BETWEEN 4500 AND 6000 FEET...SNOW FALL AMOUNTS OF
6 TO 12 INCHES ARE FORECAST.
SNOW WILL LIKELY BEGIN TO ACCUMULATE ALONG THE MAJOR INTERSTATES
AND HIGHWAYS AT ELEVATIONS ABOVE 4000 FEET AFTER 10 PM TONIGHT.
SNOWFALL AMOUNTS IN THE PASSES MAY RANGE BE UP TO 6 INCHES BEFORE
THE PRECIPITATION ENDS SATURDAY NIGHT.
A WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY MEANS THAT PERIODS OF SNOW...SLEET...OR
FREEZING RAIN WILL CAUSE TRAVEL DIFFICULTIES. BE PREPARED FOR
SLIPPERY ROADS AND LIMITED VISIBILITIES...AND USE CAUTION WHILE
DRIVING.
Special Weather Statement from NWS
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LOS ANGELES/OXNARD CA
121 PM PST FRI FEB 6 2009
CAZ034>041-044>046-051>054-059-087-088-547-548-072000-
SAN LUIS OBISPO COUNTY CENTRAL COAST-
SANTA BARBARA COUNTY CENTRAL COAST-SANTA YNEZ VALLEY-
SAN LUIS OBISPO COUNTY INTERIOR VALLEYS-CUYAMA VALLEY-
SANTA BARBARA COUNTY SOUTH COAST-VENTURA COUNTY COAST-
LOS ANGELES COUNTY COAST INCLUDING DOWNTOWN LOS ANGELES-
VENTURA COUNTY INTERIOR VALLEYS-VENTURA COUNTY COASTAL VALLEYS-
SANTA MONICA MOUNTAINS RECREATIONAL AREA-
SAN LUIS OBISPO COUNTY MOUNTAINS-SANTA BARBARA COUNTY MOUNTAINS-
VENTURA COUNTY MOUNTAINS-
LOS ANGELES COUNTY MOUNTAINS EXCLUDING THE SANTA MONICA RANGE-
ANTELOPE VALLEY-CATALINA ISLAND-SANTA CLARITA VALLEY-
LOS ANGELES COUNTY SAN FERNANDO VALLEY-
LOS ANGELES COUNTY SAN GABRIEL VALLEY-
121 PM PST FRI FEB 6 2009
...INCREASING THREAT OF THUNDERSTORMS WITH ISOLATED SEVERE WEATHER
POSSIBLE THROUGH EARLY SATURDAY...
A COLD UPPER LEVEL LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM CURRENTLY CENTERED OFF THE
COAST OF CENTRAL CALIFORNIA WILL CONTINUE TO MOVE SOUTHWARD OFF
THE COAST OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA TONIGHT. THERE WILL BE INCREASING
INSTABILITY THIS AFTERNOON THROUGH EARLY SATURDAY. THIS WILL INCREASE
THE THREAT OF THUNDERSTORMS ACROSS THE REGION. THESE STORMS WILL
BE CAPABLE OF PRODUCING BRIEF HEAVY DOWNPOURS...GUSTY
WINDS...SMALL HAIL...AND DANGEROUS LIGHTNING. CONDITIONS WILL ALSO
BECOME MORE FAVORABLE FOR ROTATING STORMS...BRINGING THE
POSSIBILITY OF WATERSPOUT AND FUNNEL CLOUD ACTIVITY...AS WELL AS
ISOLATED SMALL TORNADOES ACROSS COASTAL AREAS.
THIS SECONDARY WAVE OF HEAVY SHOWERS AND ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS
WILL ALSO BRING THE POTENTIAL FOR FLASH FLOODING AND DEBRIS FLOWS
ACROSS THE BURN AREAS...AS WELL AS URBAN AND SMALL STREAM FLOODING
IN NON-BURN AREAS. A FLASH FLOOD WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT THROUGH
NOON SATURDAY FOR THE RECENT BURN AREAS OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA.
IN ADDITION...SIGNIFICANT SNOW AND GUSTY WINDS ARE EXPECTED ACROSS
THE MOUNTAINS OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA...WITH A WINTER STORM
WARNING REMAINING IN EFFECT THROUGH 6 PM SATURDAY. THE SNOW LEVEL IS
EXPECTED TO LOWER TO AROUND 4500 FEET LATE TONIGHT...WITH LOCAL
SNOW LEVELS DOWN TO 4000 FEET ACROSS NORTH SLOPES AND NEAR HEAVIER
SHOWERS.
STAY TUNED TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO OR YOUR FAVORITE MEDIA OUTLET
FOR THE LATEST UPDATES AND POSSIBLE WARNINGS.
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