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San Diego Rain Season Quickly Ending

San Diego Weather Whiplash: Rain, Snow And Hail
San Diego Weather Whiplash: Rain, Snow & Hail GUEST:Alex Tardy, meteorologist, National Weather Service

San Diego County got some desperately needed rain in the last few days but is this it's? i t? Every rainy season is quickly coming to an end. Meanwhile, winter just want and in the Northeast with Boston heading for an all-time snowfall record. While some Western states are reporting the warmest February on record. I'm joined by Alice Alex -- Alex tardy with the National Weather Service and Alex, thanks so much for joining us. ________________________________________ Hi, thank you for having me. ________________________________________ How much rain did we get over the next few days? ________________________________________ Depending on where you work but downtown San Diego about an inch of rain into my day. A lot of that occurring Sunday and Monday. Some places at 2 inches of rain. You go up into the mountains like Palomar Mountain, they had a foot of snow. ________________________________________ And as I say, desperately needed, right? ________________________________________ It's all desperately needed. We are still in a severe to extreme drought that really covers the whole state. This puts a little dent into it. Each storm is critical. As you mentioned we're getting toward the end of our normal rainy season. It's not too late. There are still the potential in March and April to have big storms. ________________________________________ So this particular storm was pretty darn cold. We had as you mentioned snow in the mountains. There were even pictures of hail in orange County and Huntington Beach, that's not usual, is t hat? ________________________________________ No it isn't usual to have that. Hail that accumulates as much as it did, they had up to an inch of hail on the street in the beach. Many places reported at least some hail from the t hunderstorms. We had a lot of thunderstorms, lightning in brief heavy rain especially a Monday. It made for sympathies guys but it did impact a lot of outdoor activities. ________________________________________ How much of California was affected by this storm? How much of California got rainfall or some kind of picked his petition? ________________________________________ Most of the state that a little bit. I would say the area that got missed is San Francisco up to the North Coast. They had a little bit of thunderstorm, even San Jose had a little bit of hail that accumulated. Most of this particular storm when along the senior it -- -- to do 20% of what it should be, but we made out the best in Southern California. This storm and the storm last week we did the best. ________________________________________ So you say we only have at this point only 20% of the usual snowpack? ________________________________________ Yeah, the snowpack. Across the state that it is about 10% to 20% of what it should be. Even some of these storms we've had that produce a lot of precipitation, not they'll much in the form of snow. ________________________________________ Speaking with Alex tardy, and meteorologist with the National Weather Service here in San Diego. You keep track of whether across the country, I want to ask you a couple of questions about back east.The Boston area, the whole Northeast areas getting slammed with extreme weather. Boston is going for a record book year with the amount of snowfall they are getting. What is causing this ongoing weather system? ________________________________________ We've been stuck in this pattern across the United States which is typical to have been for two, three, four week time period but not the whole winter. This year the cold. That is been entrenched across New England and the Northeast has been setting the perfect ingredients for storms to, from the South, and produce snow much further south than normal. Already Boston for December, January and February months alone has set a record. They only need a couple more inches of snow before they set a record for the entire winter forced all fall. On the flipside of the Queen, Salt Lake City just set a record for the least amount of snow in February. They got nothing, a trace in the city. This is a city that averages more snow than Boston. ________________________________________ And that's all because of this particular whether pattern that doesn't show any sign of breaking up.aking up. How long is this particular weather pattern forecasted for? ________________________________________ A couple of things that have happened to have an happened is we are really in the same pattern we were in last year that brought the severe drought conditions to us and we missed all storms virtually. The pattern is shifted a little bit so it is allowed a few storms to sneak in but the cold air continues to pour down in the East. The only thing that could potentially have changed it and hasn't materialized would be an El Niño. The El Niño reaching the Pacific ocean where the warm water collects is very weak. It is there but it is weak and not strong enough to change our weather pattern this winter. ________________________________________ Meanwhile I was looking at some of the mountain states, the Pacific Northwest, our tracking some of the warmest temperatures they've ever seen for this time of the year. Is that all part of the same weather system? ________________________________________ It's all part of the same weather pattern and when you go all the way back to about January 2014, a little over a year ago, and then start counting up till now, the state of California has seen the warmest period on record. This doesn't just include California. It bleeds him and until Utah, Nevada and Oregon. It's the same weather pattern in general that's been in place for about a year and a half or c ould. ________________________________________ What are the consequences of these unusually high temperatures? Let's say Utah or Idaho and places that get a real winter? ________________________________________ The first consequence is water supply so hydrology. We are not going to have nearly as much runoff that carries us into June and July. Mountains that supply all the snow to our reservoirs. The other consequence is the recreation and the economy because it's a big impact on the ski resorts and others that make money off of the snow and with not a lot of snow to have like for example in Mammoth California, you get a lot less visitors. It has a big impact on the own growing drought. The current and potential additional water supply and the economy as a whole. ________________________________________ I want to follow-up in one of my last questions on something you said in the beginning because it shared a ray of hope on our situation even though it's been pretty dry in our rainy season here in San Diego and Southern California, you say this season is not over yet and there's a possibility for this month indeed the next? ________________________________________ Our long-range computer guidance, even though it's been hit or miss is indicating there is a potential maybe as soon as next week for another storm to impact California. The one problem is there's so much moisture right now pulled up in the Pacific and so much cold air in the East to United States specifically up in Canada and North America that neither one of those systems are going to give. We see a lot of activity brewing by Hawaii white now as we speak which typically is good because that can bring a lot of moisture to California but at the same time we see a very persistent resistant weather pattern in the East that's just not letting all this materialize into big storms for the West. ________________________________________ And four as the next few days were going to see slightly warmer temperatures? ________________________________________ Yeah, we did our dues this weekend and it was pre- much washed out, the rest of the week looks warm, lots of sun and a little bit of Santa Anna on Thursday and Friday as well so that would dry it out. ________________________________________ Thank you, Alex with the National Weather Service here in San Diego. Thanks so much. ________________________________________ Thank you.

San Diego County's rain season is quickly coming to an end.

Meanwhile, winter just won't end in the northeast, with Boston heading for an all-time snowfall record. But the western states are seeing the warmest February ever.

Alex Tardy, a meteorologist for the National Weather Service, said downtown San Diego received about an inch of rain over the weekend. Other areas, including Vista, received 2 inches of rain while Palomar Mountain got about a foot of snow.

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"We're still in a severe to extreme drought," Tardy told KPBS Midday Edition on Wednesday. "This put a little dent into it. Each storm is critical."

For this week, a ridge building along the West Coast coupled with the offshore winds will bring a slow warming trend to San Diego County by the weekend, meteorologists said Wednesday.

Inland temperatures will reach 8 to 16 degrees above seasonal averages by Sunday, according to the National Weather Service. That means highs this weekend will peak in the mid-70s.

The weather service said skies will be clear to partly cloudy through the weekend.