MORE RAIN, FREEZE EXPECTED TODAY

Latest storm could bring up to 2 more feet of snow to county’s mountains

San Diegans should brace themselves for yet another drenching and more fluffy white powder in the mountains today.

While the last Alaskan storm didn’t deliver as much punch as initially forecast, another surge from the northwest was expected to make landfall Monday evening and last through Wednesday, according to weather officials.

Precipitation was predicted to start falling by 6 p.m. Monday, with lows in the mountains of 28 to 36 degrees and wind gusts up to 60 mph, according to the National Weather Service in San Diego. Along the coast, temperatures were forecast to drop into the 40s.

The storm is predicted to peak tonight through Wednesday morning, bringing 1 to 2 feet of snow at higher elevations and about half an inch of rain along the coast. Palomar

Mountain had accumulated about 2.5 feet of snow in places on Monday, with Mount Laguna not far behind.

“It’s rare that we get that much (snow) from just a couple storms,” said Noel Isla, a forecaster with the National Weather Service.

Drivers are urged to take precautions as backcountry roads will likely be very icy. Gusts up to 75 mph in the mountains are forecast for today.

Although the 1.20 inches of rainfall for the five-day period ending at 1 a.m. Sunday at San Diego International

Airport wasn’t huge, the city has now received 9.57 inches of rain since the rainy season began on Oct. 1. That’s only 0.20 inches below what the city averages in a year.

The five-day totals elsewhere in the county, according to the National Weather Service, were: Henshaw Dam: 4.03 inches Santa Ysabel: 3.57 inches Descanso: 3.38 inches Valley Center: 3.46 inches Carlsbad: 3.16 inches Campo: 3.05 inches Escondido: 2.84 inches