PACIFIC STORM WILL WALLOP COUNTY TODAY

Forecasters expect heavy rain in areas, damaging winds

An atmospheric river stretching from roughly Hawaii to the Pacific Northwest edged into San Diego County on Saturday afternoon where it was expected to unleash blinding rain and damaging winds early today — about the time New Year’s Eve festivities were winding down and revelers were heading home.

“We think the storm will peak around 2 a.m. Sunday,” said Brandt Maxwell, a National Weather Service forecaster. “And it will have mostly moved on to Arizona by Sunday morning.”

The system whirled to life in the North Pacific then grew stronger by hoovering up moisture from the subtropics, creating an atmospheric river, a phenomenon also referred to as the “Pineapple Express.”

Forecasters estimated the storm — which is moving about 30 mph — would drop up to 1 inch of rain along the coast in San Diego County, roughly 1.5 inches in places like Escondido and Ramona, and possibly 2 inches in Alpine. Palomar Mountain, which is angled directly into the path of the storm, could get 3 inches, leading to runoff that may make chaparral less flammable in the backcountry.

“Local flooding will be possible near burn scar and in poor drainage and urban areas,” the weather service said in an advisory.

The situation led the San Diego Housing Commission to open four shelters for the homeless through this morning.

The storm also was notable for its winds. Forecasters said the wind could gust to 38 mph in San Diego, 41 mph at Oceanside, San Ysidro and Palomar Mountain, 47 mph at Borrego Springs, and 54 mph at Julian. The mix of wind and rain was expected to produce difficult driving conditions throughout the region.

Forecasters further said that the system will produce waves in the 6 to 8 foot range, with sets to 9 feet today and Monday. There’s a good chance the surf will temporarily force the closure of the Ocean Beach Municipal Pier. Beachgoers should avoid walking on low lying rocks.

The storm is largely welcomed in drought-parched California, which is still badly in need of rain, but more precipitation is needed to make a significant difference. The past three years have been California’s driest on record.

In the high Sierra Nevada, as much as 2 feet was expected to accumulate Saturday into early today. The National Weather Service in Sacramento warned about hazardous driving conditions and posted photos on Twitter showing traffic on snowcovered mountain passes where vehicles were required to have chains or four-wheel drive.

A winter storm warning was in effect into today for the upper elevations of the Sierra from south of Yosemite National Park to north of Lake Tahoe, where as much as 5 feet of snow is possible atop the mountains, the National Weather Service said in Reno, Nev.

The so-called atmospheric river storm was pulling in a long and wide plume of moisture from the Pacific Ocean, and flooding and rock slides triggered by the storm closed portions of roads across Northern California.

Weather service meteorologist Courtney Carpenter said the storm could drop over an inch of rain Saturday in the Sacramento area before moving south. One ski resort south of Lake Tahoe closed chairlifts because of flooding and operational problems.

“We’re seeing a lot of flooding,” Carpenter said.

The Stockton Police Department posted photos of a flooded railroad underpass and a car that appeared stalled in more than a foot of water.

A flood watch was in effect across much of Northern California through New Year’s Eve. Officials warned that rivers and streams could overf low and urged residents to get sandbags ready.

Some rainfall totals in the San Francisco Bay Area topped 4 inches.

The state transportation agency reported numerous road closures, including Highway 70 east of Chico, which was partially closed by a slide, and the northbound side of Highway 49, east of Sacramento, which was closed because of flooding. In El Dorado County, east of Sacramento, a stretch of Highway 50 was closed because of flooding.

Humboldt County, where a 6.4 magnitude earthquake struck on Dec. 20, also saw roadways begin to flood, according to the National Weather Service’s Eureka office.

It was the first of several storms expected to roll across California over the next week. The current system is expected to be warmer and wetter, while next week’s storms will be colder, according to the weather service.