San Diegans, get ready to bundle up and batten down the hatches. The National Weather Service in San Diego has issued a series of advisories swooping across Southern California, with San Diego County taking the brunt of the weather smackdown. According to the National Weather Service, "scattered showers will continue today" with the heaviest downpour centered around the county's mountains. Urbanites and coast-dwellers aren't off the hook just yet, either—rainfall near the coast is expected to soak up to a quarter inch of ground before the storms recede tonight.
But it's not just rain pelting the so-called America’s Finest City. Wind advisories are in place with gusts that threaten to broadly sweep up everything from palm fronds to patio furniture. Forecasters warned that west winds are set to "strengthen over the mountains and deserts this morning," with the potential to gust violently "to 45 to 55 mph with isolated stronger gusts." Tossing caution to the wind could be unwise as these gusts are expected to hit their peak in the afternoon and evening.
Staring down the barrel of next week, the situation looks grim as a sluggish low-pressure system, hanging off the California coast, is all set to pull a moisture-packed punch from an atmospheric river. The looming threat means "widespread precipitation" could flood Southern California from this weekend right into the middle of next week, with total rainfall likely to tally upwards of 2.5 inches in northern areas—a figure backed by the NWS Forecast Office.
While the timing of the heaviest rainfall remains a wild card, the region is already drenched in preparation. Flood watches remain firmly in place, with varied estimates of the watery onslaught ranging from an inch in coastal locations up to a staggering eight inches in the mountainous terrains. Beach-goers have also been served a high surf advisory, lest they get any ideas about battling the brine during this bout of beastly weather. So stay put, stay dry, and to possibly err on the side of caution—maybe don't park your car too close to the riverbank this weekend.
