San Diego weather

How will Northern California's ‘bomb cyclone' affect San Diego County?

The atmospheric river will move into SoCal late Saturday, but lose power along the way

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A storm system known better a "bomb cyclone" hit the West Coast on Tuesday, resulting in two deaths, power outages for hundreds of thousands (mostly around the Seattle area), bringing heavy rain, landslides and flooding to much of Northern California into Friday— and is moving down the coast into Southern California this weekend. But what effects, if any, are expected in San Diego County?

A "bomb cyclone" happens when a cyclone strengthens quickly within a short amount of time. This one barreled towards the Pacific Northwest this week, sending trees down onto roads, vehicles and homes.

While we will see some moisture this weekend, "don't expect anything like the rain we've seen to our north," summed up NBC 7 meteorologist Greg Bledsoe.

Saturday weather

Expect another mostly sunny Saturday for the first half of the day with very similar temperatures to what we've been seeing, according to Bledsoe.

The atmospheric river will move south into SoCal late Saturday, but it will lose a lot of power along the way, Bledsoe said.

As we head into Saturday afternoon, we will start to see more clouds forming overhead as the storm approaches San Diego County.

"We shouldn't expect much rain down here," Bledsoe said. Rain chances begin Saturday night into Sunday morning, but will be light at best.

SATURDAY RAINFALL EXPECTATIONS:

  • Coast: <.10”
  • Valley: <.10”
  • Mountain:  <.20”
  • Desert: .00”
  • Snow levels stay high: 7k-7500k

Sunday weather

"While we may not get much rain out of this storm, we should see more clouds, and cooler temperatures by Sunday, plus gusty onshore winds for the mountains," Bledsoe said.

Looking into next week (the week of Thanksgiving), a second chance for shower arrives Monday night, lingering through Wednesday, but we won't know for sure until next week, Bledsoe said.

Thanksgiving Day weather in San Diego County

It is possible that storm system could stall north of San Diego County, leaving us dry. Thanksgiving Day will be free of rain chances, Bledsoe said.

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