Short-lived sunny skies turned cloudy once again Tuesday as another storm system expected to bring wintery weather to San Diego County Tuesday and Wednesday approached the region.
The cold low-pressure system is similar to the ones that came before it and brought heavy downpours, low-elevation mountain snow and gusty winds. The first drops of rain fell in the county at around 10 p.m. Tuesday and were expected to keep up until 2 or 3 a.m. Wednesday, then return during the morning commute, according to NBC 7's First Alert radar.
NBC 7 Meteorologist Dagmar Midcap forecasts rain and wind in coastal, inland and desert communities Wednesday, plus snow in the mountains. Fellow Meteorologist Sheena Parveen said there is a chance of some thunderstorms.
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Snow levels could be as low as 2,000 feet on Wednesday evening, according to Midcap. Up to 2 feet of snow is possible at elevations near 5,000 feet by the time the storm clears the area on Thursday, Midcap said.
A winter storm warning is in effect for the San Diego County mountains until 10 p.m. Wednesday, according to the National Weather Service.
As for rain, coastal areas can expect about a half-inch of rain from this storm system; inland areas could get more than an inch and the mountains -- when not seeing snow -- could see rain as well.
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Gusty winds will pick up overnight when a wind advisory goes into effect along the coast. Winds are expected to be in the 20 to 30 mph range with some gusts up to 50 mph. It's set to expire at 6 p.m. Wednesday. In the deserts, winds in the 25 to 45 mph prompted a high wind warning from 2 p.m. Tuesday to 10 p.m. Wednesday. Some gusts could reach 75 mph, the NWS said.
It will remain cool all week, with daytime temperatures running well below average. By the weekend, though, expect sunny San Diego weather to return. Temperatures are forecasted in the 60s for the inland valleys and coast and in the 50s for the mountains.
