Some students in mountain areas where a fresh dusting of snow was delivered by a blustery El Niño-driven storm will return to school Tuesday, but will get off to a late start.
Snowfall prompted officials in the Julian Union, Julian Union High and Spencer Valley Elementary school districts to end classes early Monday so that students could head home amid unsettled and inclement weather across the county. A National Weather Service winter-storm warning for the East County highlands expired at 3 a.m. Tuesday.
The start of classes will be delayed by 90 minutes in both Julian districts, according to the San Diego County Office of Education. Classes at Spencer Valley, at the foot of Volcan Mountain, will start one hour later than usual.
The snowfall in the mountains, and the gusty wind, rain and thunderstorms elsewhere in the county, tapered off Monday night. Drier and warmer weather is expected Tuesday, with near average temperatures returning, forecasters said.
High temperatures Tuesday were predicted to be 53 to 60 degrees in the mountains, around 66 degrees in the western valleys, 59 to 54 degrees near the foothills, 72 to 77 degrees in the deserts and 62 to 67 degrees near the coast.
The big waves that had been pounding the San Diego County coastline are expected to ease up Tuesday.
A high surf warning has been cancelled, coastal flood advisory is set to expire at noon, and a high surf advisory will end at 8 p.m. Surf of 6 to 10 feet with sets to 12 feet Tuesday morning are expected to lower to 4 to 8 feet Tuesday afternoon.
