On Halloween, there was reason to wonder whether it would ever rain again in San Diego County. On Easter, there was reason to wonder whether the rain would ever stop.
A wet winter has given way to a wet and wild spring in the land of who knows what will happen next.
Saturday’s downpours were followed Sunday by weaker but still substantial rain, including a few “self-announcing” thunderstorms that clapped hard and spit hail at Escondido as well as Palomar Mountain, where the peak is frosted with 6 inches of newly fallen snow.
Sensing trouble, SeaWorld San Diego decided not to open on either day, which turned out to be a good decision. By 10 a.m. Sunday, San Diego International Airport had recorded 1.58 inches of weekend rain, more than it typically gets in the entire month of March.
The latest drenching will stoke the already wondrous mix of wildflowers that are blooming from coastal bluffs to desert lowlands.
And this might not be the end of it.
It looks like a new storm will roll ashore on Friday, says the National Weather Service. There’s a chance the same will happen on April 8, obscuring San Diego’s partial view of a total solar eclipse.
Big storms are comparatively rare in late March. The bigger ones can be a source of beauty and pain. The latest system proves the point.
The Alaskan storm generated a huge ocean swell that was glassier than a champagne flute when the clouds lifted on Saturday afternoon, mesmerizing surfers. Strong winds kicked up Sunday, giving the waves a haircut.
The wind also was very cold. Homeless people sought shelter in restrooms near the Ocean Beach Pier, which was closed after years of similar batterings.
The culprit was the main storm clouds overhead, which became very unstable as their temperature — at around 25,000 feet — hovered at nearly minus 40 degrees Fahrenheit. It was a source of concern to forecasters who issued a special advisory about noon Sunday, saying that water spouts could swirl to life west of La Jolla.
That didn’t happen. But the weather service’s prediction that 1.5 to 2 inches of rain would fall across much of the county did come true.
“This will help reduce the wildfire risk for months,” said National Weather Service forecaster Brandt Maxwell. “But it will eventually dry out. There will be lots of kindling.”
2-day rainfall totals through 4:32 p.m. Sunday
San Onofre: 3.28 inches; Skyline Ranch, 2.48 inches; Lake Wohlford, 2.37 inches; Valley Center, 2.27 inches; Mount Woodson, 2.00 inches; Fashion Valley, 1.95 inches; Henshaw Dam, 1.93 inches; Fallbrook, 1.92 inches; Ramona Airport, 1.85 inches; Camp Pendleton, 1.81 inches; Santee, 1.73 inches; Point Loma, 1.67 inches; San Diego Country Estates, 1.66 inches; Lake Cuyamaca, 1.64 inches; Montgomery Field, 1.63 inches.
Escondido, 1.63 inches; Barona, 1.62 inches; Miramar, 1.59 inches; Kearny Mesa, 1.59 inches; San Diego International Airport, 1.58 inches; La Mesa, 1.58 inches; Julian, 1.56 inches; Pine Hills, 1.56 inches; National City, 1.54 inches; Miramar Lake, 1.52 inches; Descanso, 1.50 inches; Rainbow, 1.39 inches; Carlsbad, 1.31 inches.
Oceanside, 1.29 inches; North Island, 1.24 inches; Vista, Warner Springs, 1.24 inches; Bonsall, 1.21 inches; Rancho Bernardo, 1.16 inches; Alpine, 1.11 inches; Encinitas, 0.98 inch; San Marcos, 0.89 inch; Campo, 0.72 inch; Ranchita, 0.43 inch.
Source: NWS
