Cooler temperatures and cloudy skies moved into the San Diego area Monday, with widespread mild rains expected to douse the county this afternoon, forecasters reported.
The showers are likely to drop up to two-fifths of an inch of moisture along the coast and in the inland valleys, and as much an inch in parts of the East County highlands, including Julian and Palomar Mountain, according to the National Weather Service.
Desert locales should get no more than a tenth of an inch or so, the NWS advised.
Meanwhile, gusty westerly winds will increase over the day before diminishing in the evening as the rainfall subsides, making way for a warming trend and dry conditions expected to prevail from Tuesday through the weekend, according to meteorologists.
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A wind advisory was in effect from 10 a.m. Monday to 2 a.m. Tuesday for the San Diego County deserts and mountains. South winds becoming west were expected to range from 20 to 30 mph in the afternoon, with gusts to 55 mph expected.
The weather service warned that the gusty winds could blow around unsecured objects, tree limbs could be blown down and a few power outages may result. Drivers — especially those in high-profile vehicles, were urged to use caution.