San Diego area-residents today were expected to soak up one more day of mostly sunny skies before another blast of cold, wet winter weather returns.
The follow-up storm to last week's torrential rains is expected to arrive out of the northwest late tonight, ushering in a cold snap and periods of heavy precipitation, possibly including some mountain snow, according to meteorologists.
Rainfall totals from the blustery system, which will weaken Wednesday afternoon before moving out of the region that night, will range from as much as two-thirds of an inch along the coast and in the inland valleys, upwards of 1 1/4 inches on west-facing slopes and a half-inch or so in the deserts, the National Weather Service reported.
The North County will get more of the moisture than communities to the south, according to the NWS. The highest mountain peaks, meanwhile, may get an inch or two of snow.
Due to heavily saturated ground throughout the area, runoff will likely be immediate and fast-moving, possibly causing more of the types of flooding, mud-slide and debris-flow problems wreaked by prolonged downpours earlier this month, the NWS advised.
The storm also will generate stiff winds, especially in the mountains and high deserts, where gusts may exceed 60 mph and reduce visibility to near zero at times while possibly downing trees and power lines, according to the weather service.
On Thursday and Friday, temperatures in the county will likely drop 10 or 20 degrees below seasonal averages, causing widespread frost in low-lying inland communities.
