Gusty winds will buffet the San Diego County mountains and deserts Wednesday ahead of a low-pressure system that will bring a chance of rain throughout the region on Thursday, according to the National Weather Service.
The system is one of two atmospheric rivers moving across the Pacific. The rare May event will bring substantial rain to California, according to Marty Ralph, research meteorologist and director of the Center for Western Weather and Water Extremes at Scripps Institution in San Diego.
Marty Ralph joins KPBS Midday Edition today to reveal what San Diegans can expect from this system.
The winds blowing to the west and southwest prompted the NWS to issue a wind advisory that will be in effect from 5 p.m. Wednesday to 11 a.m. Friday in the mountains and deserts.
Wind speeds today are expected to range from 20 to 30 mph with gusts of 45 mph possible along the desert slopes of the mountains, forecasters said.
The winds will die down by Thursday morning then peak again Thursday afternoon and evening, with winds between 30 and 40 mph expected and gusts of 60 mph possible.
Powerful winds could whip up sand and dust and create potentially hazardous driving conditions, especially for high-profile vehicles, the NWS warned.
A low-pressure system coming in from the northwest is expected to arrive late tonight and bring rain Thursday morning, NWS meteorologist Miguel Miller said.
Rainfall totals on Thursday could reach a quarter-inch in coastal and inland-valley areas, while the mountains could get up to nine-tenths of an inch and up to a quarter-inch is expected in the deserts, according to the NWS.
Some light rain could linger in the afternoon, but the system is expected to leave the region by Thursday night, Miller said.
High temperatures Wednesday will be 66 to 71 degrees at the beaches and inland, 69 to 74 in the western valleys, 65 to 75 in the mountains and 89 to 94 in the deserts.
