A winter storm that brought rain for days to San Diego County also dumped some snow on the region's tallest mountain peaks.
Mountain towns received anywhere from a dusting of snow to about a half-foot from the slow-moving storm system. With the news, some San Diego residents may be wondering if they should head for the hills for their chance to play in a winter wonderland.
Unfortunately, the snow didn't stick in many of the region's lower-elevation communities. Julian's live camera, for example, showed just a sliver of snow left on the roof of Main Street's businesses Friday. The town has an elevation of about 4,200 feet and had only received about 3 inches of snow from the storm system to begin with. Rain on Friday had turned any snow on the ground to slush and it was all likely to be gone by the time sunshine returned for the weekend.
The best chance to see snow, according to NBC 7 Meteorologist Greg Bledsoe, was to head to the highest peaks in Cleveland National Park. Mount Laguna, with an elevation of 6,000 feet, received up to 8 inches of snow from the near-week-long storm -- and it was still snowing on Friday.
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The best chance to catch the snow before it melts away will be Saturday, when the weather will be 39 degrees and sunny, Bledsoe said. Sunday is expected to be warmer, so the snow will be melting throughout the day.
Palomar Mountain received slightly less snow, coming in at 6 inches from this storm system. It is possible visitors to the mountain with an elevation of 6,142 feet could catch some snow this weekend but it will also be melting through the "warmer weekend."
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Of course, if you're really looking to experience a winter wonderland, you'll want to head out of the county north to the San Bernardino Mountains. Mountain High (8,000 elevation) and Big Bear's Snow Summit (elevation 8,200) received 45 and 35 inches of powder respectively. Head even further north toward the Sierra Nevada Mountain range and you'll experience the wonder of feet upon feet of snow. Mammoth Mountain -- a 405-mile drive from San Diego's city center --received about 186 inches of snow, so far, this winter season.
Wondering where to catch snow in San Diego? We have a full list of locations around the county below:
Before you go, be sure to check for chain requirements. Caltrans San Diego advises those who wish to visit the snow, to visit their website for the most up-to-date information on chain requirements and snow plows.
Check the snow camera at Laguna Mountain Lodge and Julian
Before you head up to the mountains, you can check out the snow conditions from the Laguna Mountian Lodge camera.
You can also check out snow conditions in Julian by checking out their webcam.
