MORE STORMS COMING TO SAN DIEGO

Much of the county will wind up with an inch or more of rain

The Pacific storm that jolted San Diego County Saturday will produce a second round of moderate rain, strong wind, heavy surf, cold air and possibly snow today, according to the National Weather Service.

Forecasters say much of the county could end up receiving an inch or more of rain by the end of the weekend, easing a wildfire threat that had been made worse by a recent series of Santa Ana wind events.

Today’s rains will mostly fall between mid-morning and late afternoon, with showers lingering into Monday, which will be the start of an unseasonably cool week. San Diego might not reach 70 again until Friday.

Through 4 p.m. Saturday, the rainfall totals included 1.42 inches at Lake Cuyamaca, 1.12 inches at Palomar Mountain, 1.03 inches at Julian, 0.95 inches at Pine Valley, 0.75 inches at Alpine, 0.66 inches at Ramona, 0.58 inches at Poway, 0.52 inches at Fallbrook, 0.50 inches at Barona, 0.46 inches at Ranchita, 0.41 inches at Carlsbad, 0.40 inches at Valley Center, 0.37 inches at Escondido, 0.34 inches at Montgomery Field, 0.24 inches at Santee, 0.23 inches at Miramar, and 0.12 inches at San Diego International Airport.

The rain led to the usual spate of spinouts and flooding on county roadways and may have contributed to at least one fatal freeway crash.

Forecasters estimate that San Diego will have a total of 0.70 inches to 1 inch of rain by Monday, while Ramona gets 1.5 inches to 2 inches and areas like Palomar Mountain get as much as 3 to 4 inches.

Snow flurries also were reported at the 5,500 foot level on Saturday. Forecasters say 1 to 4 inches of snow could fall above 5,000 feet today, and that light snow is possible in Julian and Pine Valley.

The inland valleys and foothills will be in the mid-50s to low 60s today, about 15 to 20 degrees below average. The coastal region will be in the low 60s, roughly 5 to 6 degrees below normal.

The cold temperatures are being caused, in part, by strong winds. On Saturday, the weather service reported gusts to 41 mph in Solana Beach and Carlsbad, 36 mph at Del Mar, and 30 mph at Oceanside, Chula Vista and Mission Valley.

The winds were even stronger inland. The wind gusted to 69 mph at Mount Laguna, 46 mph at Lake Cuyamaca, and 45 mph at Descanso.

Today’s winds will be strongest at the coast, with gusts of 20 to 25 mph. Inland areas will be in the 15 to 20 mph range.

A high surf advisory will be in effect for the coast through early Monday. Forecasters are particularly concerned with the Imperial Beach area, where waves are likely to reach the 4-foot to 9foot range. Sea surface temperatures are running 62 to 68 degrees.