Santa Ana winds that have been buffeting the San Diego area with speeds reaching 60 mph are expected to take it down a notch, blowing somewhat gentler at 10 to 20 mph come Thursday night and into Friday morning. This respite from the fierce gusts was detailed in a report by the National Weather Service in San Diego.
On the wetter side of things, San Diego County should prepare for an uptick in showers. It started with isolated downpours on Thursday and will extend northward across inland areas by the weekend. The peak of this precipitation comes on Friday, as the rains could go as far as summoning thunderstorms. Continually cool conditions are also predicted to linger into Saturday. According to a forecast by the National Weather Service San Diego CA, "a cold upper level storm will return precipitation to the mountains and lower snow levels into Friday."
Snow enthusiasts will have their wishes granted as snow showers will not only be present on Friday but will also continue into Saturday. Accumulations are forecasted to be 1 to 3 inches above 5000 feet, with a considerable dusting of around 6 inches in the eastern San Bernardino mountains and Onyx Peak.
Traveling beyond the valley floors to the mountains might necessitate snow chains — the snow level is anticipated to hover at around 4500 feet. Warming trends are on the horizon with temperatures rising near average by Sunday, and they could exceed that by a margin of 5 degrees by Monday. Despite this warming, "a snow level around 4500 feet will rise to around 5500 feet this afternoon," the report predicts additional snowfall. "For extreme southwestern California including Orange... SAN DIEGO...western Riverside and southwestern San Bernardino Counties," as expressed in the same report by the National Weather Service San Diego CA.
Lastly, the weather will not only play its tune on land but at sea as well. Mariners should brace for northeast winds of 10 to 20 kt and choppy conditions may arise from mixed swells near San Mateo Point to San Clemente Island through Friday morning. Showers are expected to continue through the afternoon with a slight chance for thunderstorms.
