The Super Bowl won’t be the only thing to cheer about this weekend. Six days of stormy weather will have come to an end across San Diego County, and Sunday will be picture perfect, says the National Weather Service.
You can play in the mountain snow in the morning and walk the beach in the afternoon. But watch your step: The storms, which dropped more than 8 inches of rain at San Onofre and nearly 4 inches at National City, have left behind muddy trails, crumbling cliffs and damaged beaches.
Here’s a glimpse of what to expect.
Winter wonderland
The weather service says 6 to 8 inches of snow has fallen above the 4,000-foot level at Palomar Mountain and Mount Laguna, and Julian has received 4 inches. Drivers might have to put snow chains on their vehicles to access higher elevations. Check Caltrans for updates on road conditions and chain controls at quickmap.dot.ca.gov.
The temperature in the mountains this weekend will be in the low 40s during the day and 20s at night, helping preserve the snow. If skies are clear, the coating should be visible from far away. Fresh snow reflects between 80 and 90 percent of the sunlight that hits it.
Beaches and coastal bluffs
The storms heavily damaged and closed the parking lot at Cardiff State Beach and shut down vehicular traffic at Torrey Pines State Beach on the road that extends from the south parking lot to the bluffs. The trails on the bluffs are open and accessible on foot, including spongy Guy Fleming Trail — but it wouldn’t be a surprise if soil slips above Flat Rock, near the south end of the reserve.
The rain also wiped out the road that leads into San Onofre Surf Beach, home of such fabled breaks as Old Man’s and The Point. It’s one of the spots where California’s surf culture took root and is name-checked in such hit songs as the Beach Boys’ “Surfin’ U.S.A.”
The recent rains are also causing the soil to slip on the switchback trail at Beacon’s, a surf spot in Encinitas, UC San Diego scientists report. The university is examining bluffs along much of the county’s coastline, including the slide-prone stretch between 13th Street and Carmel Valley Road in Del Mar.
A slide in that area could disrupt enger rail service within the county — something that has occurred in the past. Recent rains caused a mudslide in San Clemente that has shut down enger rail service from that city to San Diego County.
Another potential trouble area is the mouth of the San Dieguito River at the north end of Del Mar. Water is rapidly flowing into the ocean and could imperil people and dogs who wade into the flow. And shifting sand could affect the pitch of the popular shore break at Tamarack State Beach in Carlsbad.
The surf will be in the 2-to-3-foot range in most places this weekend. Storm runoff could carry debris into the water, including tree branches.
Inland trails
Most parks and trails will be open this weekend. But the edges of creeks in places like Daley Ranch Park and Elfin Forest Recreational Reserve in Escondido are muddy and slippery. Hikers will find the same conditions along Los Peñasquitos Creek, which extends from Poway to the ocean in Del Mar.
What’s next
A new storm could push into the county next weekend, forecasters say, but it is too soon to tell how much rain it might drop.
