A winter storm system rolled toward Southern California Wednesday, expected to bring steady rain, possible thunderstorms and pockets of heavy downpours to San Diego County as residents prepared to ring in the new year.
Light sprinkles early Wednesday served as a preview of more widespread showers forecast to arrive by evening. Forecasters said the system will sweep through the region through Thursday morning, with scattered showers lingering into Friday and potentially into the weekend.
Meteorologists said the storm could deliver periods of intense rainfall, along with isolated thunderstorms, before tapering off. By the time the system exits the region, much of the county could see between a half-inch and more than an inch of rain depending on elevation and location.
With rain in the forecast, the City of San Diego activated its inclement weather shelter program Wednesday. The program provides additional shelter capacity when specific weather conditions are met generally from November through March at the following locations:
- Living Water Church of the Nazarene, 1550 Market St., capacity for up to 28 adults. Check-in is at 8 p.m., with on-site reservations available from 1 to 4 p.m. Check-out is at 6:30 a.m.;
- Joan Kroc Center, 1501 Imperial Ave., capacity for up to 61 adults, plus 11 beds for families with minor children and/or single women. Check-in begins at 4 p.m. and continues through the night until full. Check-out is at 5 a.m.; and
- Father Joe's Villages Paul Mirabile Center, 1501 Imperial Ave., capacity for up to 62 adults. Check-in begins at 4 p.m. and continues through the night until full. Check-out is at 5 a.m.
People can go directly to the shelter locations to access a bed on a first-come, first-served basis.
The program is activated whenever the temperature is below 50 degrees and there is a 40% chance of rain, or when the temperature is 45 degrees or below regardless of the chance of rain. Shelters are also activated during exceptional weather conditions, such as when one or more inches of rain fall within 24 hours or there are sustained high winds.
Check-in and check-out times vary with shelter locations but usually most beds are opened in the late afternoon and must be vacated by early the next morning.
